


Pepper Potts to the Rescue

by KingPepperony



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Pepper Potts, F/M, Hurt Tony Stark, Pepper Potts as Rescue, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pregnant Pepper Potts, Protective Pepper Potts, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 16:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 82,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingPepperony/pseuds/KingPepperony
Summary: It is the night of Tony and Pepper's engagement party, and Pepper is supposed to be having the time of her life, but things are not going her way. When Tony needs her help, will she be able to step up and save him? (Set after "Spiderman: Homecoming" but before Avengers: Infinity War. A/U)
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Virginia "Pepper" Potts could feel the tight reigns she had on her temper slowly slipping from her grasp. It wasn't just one thing that made her finally lose her grip completely but lots of little things. Lots of little things combined with a little too much alcohol. Okay, maybe a lot of alcohol. The night had the potential to be one of the best nights of her entire life. After all, an engagement party celebrating her upcoming marriage to her long-time boyfriend Anthony Stark was definitely something to celebrate. They had been together since...well, she honestly couldn't remember a time in her life without him. All those years ago, she started out as his PA, then moved to CEO of his company and now finally here she was...going to marry him. She had landed the genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark, and she almost couldn't believe it herself.

From the minute she woke up on the morning of the engagement party, she should have known things weren't going to go her way. When she got into the shower, she realized there was no hot water. None, and it wasn't just cold. It was ice cold. Arctic cold. By the time she got out, she felt like a freckled Popsicle. Her teeth chattered as she hurried from the shower. She had to hurry up and get to her hair appointment. Then she realized she had no clean clothes so she had to run to the laundry room in only a towel. Luckily for her, none of Tony's Avenger pals were around to see her slip and fall down the stairs, completely naked. A yelp escaped her lips as she landed directly on her tailbone. Well, on the bright side she hadn't broken her neck, but that was surely going to leave a mark. Her coccyx was throbbing as she waddled the rest of the way to her destination. She could hear Tony's AI ask if she required medical assistance but she ignored her. Friday must have taken that as a no because after that she left her alone.

It took a lot longer to get dressed than originally planned as she tried not to agitate her injury further. If she wasn't careful, by the end of the night she wouldn't be able to move. She put on a pair of black leggings and one of Tony's button up shirts so she wouldn't ruin her hair when she finally put her dress on. When she got in the car and pulled out into traffic after arguing with Happy for about ten minutes about her not needing a security detail because she was only going to get her hair done, she realized she had no gas. She was running on fumes. The last person to use the car was Tony. That wasn't a shock to her. He always forgot to get gas.

When she pulled into the gas station and got out, she was immediately recognized and flagged down by a reporter for the New York Times who wanted to discuss her upcoming nuptials and what it would mean for Stark Industries. Ugh. She knew she should have worn sunglasses and a hat to hide her hair. Although it wouldn't have really mattered since all of Tony's cars had license plates with Stark and then a number on them. It made it really difficult not to be seen. That's it. Next time she was taking Happy's car.

By the time she finally lost the reporter because she was too nice to merely blow him off like Tony would have, she was running late to her hair appointment. Next time, she was going to have the hairdresser come to her even though sometimes she did enjoy getting out and doing non-work related things. This was obviously not a good idea. By the time her hair was put in an elaborate up-do and looking just the way she wanted, it was raining outside, and not just raining. Pouring. She could feel her eye start to twitch. Had she broken a mirror this morning and not realized it because it was beginning to look like she was in for seven years of bad luck.

After waiting fifteen more minutes for it to clear up a bit, she realized it just wasn't going to happen and she made a mad dash for the car. Luckily for her, the rain hadn't done too much damage to her hair. It was a good thing the drive back was uneventful. She didn't know how much more she could take. She just happened to be gettin out of the car in the parking garage at the same time the cake was being delivered. Something in her told her to inspect it before accepting the delivery. When she opened the giant box to examine the dessert meant for the party guests, her mouth dropped open and her hands flew up to cover the rising horror on her face. "Oh my God. What is this?"

The delivery guy shrugged nonchalantly as he leaned over her shoulder. "Looks like a huge penis, ma'am."

Pepper spun around, and the man stepped back, his hands rising up in self defense. Pepper didn't blame him. She did want to deck him. "This isn't what I ordered! This isn't even remotely funny. Where is my cake?"

Realization dawned on the man's face, and he smiled sheepishly as he refused to make eye contact. "Oh. I think I know what happened. I must have accidentally mixed up deliveries. I bet that bachorlette party has your cake. Oops."

"Oops? Oops? Fix this," Pepper demanded. "Fix this now."

"I'll be right back." The driver apologized repeatedly as he fumbled for his phone. He turned his back to her, walking away as he scrolled through his contact list.

Breathe, Pepper. Remember to breathe. Oh God. She was going to lose it. Pepper took a deep breaath and made a phone call of her own.

"What's up, future Mrs. Stark?"

At the sound of Tony's voice, Pepper's throat tightened. "Tony." She didn't realize she was on the verge of crying until she tried to speak. Her voice was shaking, her throat slowly closing up. Oh God, no. No, she could not break down. Not now. Taking a deep breath, she pushed on. "It's terrible."

"Pepper, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Tony's voice had lost its playful edge. "I'm getting ready to come your way now. I'm getting in the car."

"It's the cake."

There was a few beats of silence between them before Tony spoke again. She heard his car door slam. "The cake? Something happened to the cake?"

"Tony, it's bad. It's so bad."

"Hey. It can't be that bad."

Instead of simply describing the atrocity to him, she snapped a photo and sent it. After all, she didn't think she could properly give him all the details of the shape and size over the phone. Within seconds, he was outright belly laughing. She could picture him bent over the steering wheel, shaking with laughter.

"Mr. Stark, this is so far from funny," but even as she said the words, she found herself smiling in spite of herself. Tony's laugh made her overly tense shoulders relax.

"Come on, Potts. It's kinda funny."

Pepper let out a small laugh of her own. "Okay, I'll give you that much. It's kinda funny. Will you just get here? I miss you."

"Leaving now. I should be there within the hour. Try not to get too worked up. I'll give you lots of stress relief when I get to you...if you catch my drift."

Pepper giggled. "I get you. Get here. I love you."

"Love you too, Pep."

Pepper hung up with Tony, somehow feeling a little bit better about the situation. If Tony could laugh about it, she should be able to as well. After all, it was just a cake. As long as he was there with her, that was really all that mattered. At some point during her phone conversation, Happy had appeared and was chatting with the delivery driver. When he noticed she was through on the phone, he approached her.

"I've got this, Pepper. Go inside and get ready," he said, and when she paused, he put a hand on her lower back and guided her toward the elevator. "Seriously. I'll make sure this is fixed. Just go get ready. I can handle it."

"Thanks, Happy."

Once back upstairs, Pepper could feel a bit of her troubles melting away as she applied her makeup. Part of her was tempted to cover her freckles completely, but she knew Tony liked them. One of her favorite things he did was when he would count her freckles with kisses. Just thinking about Tony's soft kissable lips roaming over her skin made warmth pool in places that made her blush. No more time for those kind of thoughts, Potts. She had to keep moving or she would be late. Once she had slipped into her blue backless dress, a throwback to their first dance years back, and put her matchy strappy shoes on, she glanced at the clock and realized Tony still wasn't there. Guests were going to be arriving soon but that was Tony for you. He would stroll in with five minutes left, put on a suit and look simply dashing as if he had been slaving away on his looks for hours. She both loved and hated that about him. After giving herself one last check over in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place, she was ready for the night to begin.

"Where are you?" Pepper whispered angrily into the phone two hours later, taking a quick glance around to see if anyone was listening in on her conversation. The last thing she needed was for a reporter to get wind of her arguing with her soon to be husband. Seeing the coast was clear and most of the guests were dancing or chatting with each other, she didn't even try to hide her annoyance at the caller. "You were supposed to be here by now. I didn't know I was getting married to myself. I'm pretty sure that's not even legal."

"Hey, Pep. Love you too."

Pepper blew a strand of red hair that had fallen out of her elaborate up-do out of her eyes. It had taken forever for the stylist to pin up it all up. Two entire hours of her life actually, and here it was, falling out and the night had barely begun. She could hear the smile in Tony's voice, and right now his playful tone was bothering her. He wasn't taking this seriously. "You are so in love with me that you can't even show up to our engagement party on time. I know you are conveniently never on time to business meetings, but I thought this actually meant something to you."

It was Tony's turn to sigh. "Come on, Pepper. You know you are overreacting, right? This isn't my fault this time. I swear. The weather out here is nasty. I'm stuck in traffic."

The stupid hair she had removed from her eyes was somehow back in her face. She twirled it between her fingers, only barely resisting the urge to just yank it out of her head. "Uh huh."

"I'm serious."

Pepper could hear the pout in his voice. Right now she was sure he was giving her his famous Tony Stark puppy dog eyes that used to attract girls by the horde. Thank God, she wasn't video chatting with him at the moment or she likely would have melted on the spot. Even after all these years, one look from him could make her forget her own name. Those chocolate brown eyes did crazy things to her self control."Iron Man is stuck in traffic?" She teased. "*The* Iron Man?"

Tony chuckled. "Well, since I don't currently have my suit, yes. I'm stuck in traffic like a normal person. I don't think I like being normal very much."

Her annoyance with him clicked down a couple more notches. He had promised her no matter what that he would not use his suit today because today was special. Today was her day. He told her nothing short of the world coming to an end would stop him from being there for her, and he had even put the suit under lock and key to prove it to her. It was a little over-dramatic but she appreciated the sentiment behind his grand gesture. "I need you, Tony. Please get here."

"I'm coming, Pep. I'll be there soon. Love you."

She knew he meant it. "I love you too."

Another twenty minutes went by. Still no Tony Stark. Pepper could hear the quiet chatter around her begin to grow louder by the minute. The rumors being whispered about Tony. Maybe he isn't coming. Maybe he is having second thoughts. Maybe he found someone better. Maybe he found someone younger.

A shudder ran down Pepper's spine. She wasn't getting any younger. That was true, and Tony, honestly Tony was like a fine wine. He only got better with age. He was just as attractive as he was when she started working as his PA. Even more so now. She definitely didn't see herself the same way and obviously neither did anyone else in attendance. Pepper tried to ignore it. She really truly did but when Christine Everhart sat down at the bar next to her, she just couldn't anymore.

"Miss Potts, would you like a drink?"

"Miss Everhart," was all Pepper was able to force out from between clenched teeth. Of course, *the* Christine Everhart would show up here. The same Christine Everhart that Tony had brought home with him years and years back when he was still a playboy. The same Christine Everhart that she had thrown out of his house the following morning and called her trash to her face. She was here. She was here getting her a drink, and Tony was nowhere in sight.

Before she could even answer, Christine held up a perfectly manicured hand. "Wait, don't answer that. I'm getting you a drink. You obviously need it."

Pepper let out the breath she had been holding in, watching as prim and proper Christine leaned over the bar to flirt with the bartender as she ordered a couple of drinks. Fuck it, Pepper thought to herself, accepting the drink and throwing it back in a few impressive gulps. If Tony were here, he would be shocked. Or proud. Probably a little of both.

Christine's eyes grew wide at Pepper's display, and she almost laughed at the woman's shock. Almost. "Wow. I'm impressed. I thought the CEO of Stark Industries didn't know how to have a good time."

Pepper forced a smile as best as she could under the current circumstances. "Oh, you would be wrong. I'm pretty good at having fun when I really want to. Off the clock, of course."

Christine's smile actually seemed genuine as she followed her lead and threw her own drink back, finishing it like a shot. It made Pepper feel a little uneasy, wondering what the woman was trying to accomplish. "Of course. Another drink, Miss Potts?"

One of Tony's one night stands was here at their engagement party, and they were drinking together as if they were best buddies. Had she been sucked into an alternate dimension? What was happening right now? The thoughts bounced around in her head for awhile and she almost stopped to ponder them but then decided against it. This was her party after all. Her and Tony's party and he wasn't here. He wasn't here and she was. A snide smile appeared on her lips. "It's Ms. Potts, and why not?"

Pepper honestly didn't know what she was doing. She usually didn't drink. Tony was the drinker. She was the thinker. That's what she always told him, and he would laugh. He told her she always had her head on straight. She always acted rationally. She told him she had to. Somebody in their relationship had to because well, Tony was Tony. She was responsible for him. She was responsible for his business. She was the CEO, thanks to him. She had to conduct herself like one but tonight...tonight something in her shifted. Pepper Potts was the responsible one. She had always been the responsible one. Well, she was sick of that shit. So fucking sick of it.

One drink become two. Two became three. And then came the shots. Shots? What the fuck was she doing? This wasn't college. Why was she taking shots with a woman who had been in Tony's bed? And she's a reporter to top it all off. Was she insane? She was doing shots with a freakin' reporter. A freakin' reporter that had seen Tony naked. Her phone singing out Tony's ring tone brought her back to reality. At least for the moment.

Pepper turned her head to the side, away from Christine as she answered the call. "Anthony Edward Stark, where are you?"

"I've moved about a mile or two so closer to you than I was before, honey."

"Tony," Pepper almost whined as she imagined the absolutely adorable expression that was bound to be on his face. She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. She missed him. God, she missed him so much. "Don't. Just don't."

"Pep, are you drinking?" There was surprise in Tony's voice.

"Sure am. Christine is here and she's ordering me drinks...something my fiance should be doing but he is currently stuck in traffic."

"Wait. Christine as in Christine Everhart?"

"Yeppers, Mr. Stark."

"Miss Potts, did you just say, 'Yeppers?'"

Pepper all out grinned at the apparent shock in Tony's voice. It wasn't often that she outright surprised him. He was a genius after all. It took a lot to daze him. She didn't care who saw or what they thought about her out of character behavior. This was her night. This was her party and she would act like an irresponsible twit if she wanted. "Yeppers," she said a second time. That was quite a fun word. She needed to use it more often. She wanted to see the expression on Tony's face when she said it directly to him.

"That's it. Send Happy with my suit. I don't care how he gets here. I'm bypassing this traffic. You are clearly in trouble. What have you done with my fiancee?"

Pepper couldn't help it. She snorted a laugh. "I'm fine, Tony. I'm actually having fun. The night was starting off shitty but it got better..."

There was silence for a beat before Tony replied, "Who are you and what did you do with my fiancee? Shitty? Did Virginia 'Pepper' Potts, just say the word 'shitty?'"

That made her laugh out loud. "I'm okay, Tony. I'm swear. I'm okay. Just get your cute little butt over here because I miss you." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She honestly didn't care who was listening at this point. She missed Tony Stark. She missed him so much. She wanted to shout it from the mountain tops. The things she wanted to do with that man.

"Just keep the party going, Potts. I'll be to you soon."

Another fifteen minutes went by. "Soon" had long since passed in Pepper's eyes. She couldn't count the number of drinks she had helped herself to in Tony's absence but her head felt fuzzy, and she felt very warm even in her backless dress and high heels. Her tongue had loosened up quite a bit, and Christine seemed to be loving the open conversations they were having. It started out innocently enough. Pepper and Christine were talking about what they had been up to over the years. Pepper wasn't that shocked to learn that Christine was married and had gotten divorced. She had a two year old son named Everett who was currently staying with her ex, and from the way she was talking about the man, he was the bane of her existence.

"You're lucky to land someone like Tony Stark."

Pepper didn't take offense at her statement and nodded. She didn't disagree at all. She was lucky.

"I mean, who would have thought in the end he would have ended up with you?"

Okay, now she was pushing it a bit. Pepper couldn't think of anything nice to say so she took another drink instead. Just keep drinking, Potts. Tony will be here soon.

"I mean he had to have slept with what hundreds of women over the years right? Thousands maybe and he ends up settling down with the plain woman who worked as his PA?"

Did she just call her plain? Pepper finished her drink, slamming the glass down on the bar. It was as if the temperature in the room had climbed another ten degrees in the last five seconds. "That's enough, Miss Everhart." Her voice was shaking.

"Back to formalities then, Miss Potts?" Christine gave her a fake shark smile. Her cheeks were flushed from drinking too much. "I didn't mean to offend you. It's just that he had been with supermodels and actresses but he chose you. You of all people. I mean, come on. You are cute Pepper Potts but you aren't that cute." She stopped for a minute before slipping her phone out of her purse. "Oh. Oh, check this out."

Pepper swallowed. Oh God no. What was she going to show her? This was not going to end well.

After a few minutes of searching through God knows what, a knowing smile came over Christine's face and she pushed the phone up to Pepper's face. Pepper blinked and rubbed her eyes. There in front of her eyes was a picture of Christine Everhart she had snapped during her one night stand with Tony. They both were naked. Tony was passed out on his stomach, his head turned toward the camera. His eyes closed as his mouth partially open. The Christine in the picture was grinning. She had taken pictures of it. Fuck. Pepper's right hand became a tight fist at her side. She didn't realize her body was trembling until she stood up.

Christine spun around on her stool to face Pepper, a snug smile plastered across her face. "Does his ass still look like this? I remember it being very nice and firm. I never did like you, Pepper Potts. I should be the one marrying Tony Stark. Not you. Just remember when you are moaning his name later tonight, he was moaning mine first."

That was it. That was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. That was the moment Pepper Potts did something so out of character it shocked everyone in the room. Before she could talk herself out of it, her clenched fist was flying at the blonde's face. The poor bitch didn't even see it coming. It connected with a crack, and Christine's head was flying back on her shoulders. The shock didn't even register on the reporter's face until she was flat on her butt now on the floor, staring up at her attacker with blood streaming out of her now crooked nose. Everyone in the room gasped.

Oh shit. You've done it now, Potts.

"What the fuck?" Christine cried, blood soaking her once beautiful blue gown. Well, now Pepper had the best looking blue gown in the room. The random thought was so bizarre, it almost made her giggle but that would have been extremely inappropriate considering the circumstances. "You broke my nose! I'm calling the police."

Both Colonel James Rhodes and Happy Hogan were there in a beat, stepping in between the women, blocking Christine from her view. "Whoa. Whoa. Let's just take a second and calm down," Tony's best friend Rhodes said as he offered a hand and helped the injured woman to her feet. He removed the handkerchief from his jacket pocket and pressed it to her bleeding nose as she leaned her weight against him. Seeing Rhodes standing always made Pepper happy. A fall from the sky almost took his life, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down instead but with the help of special protesthics Tony invented, he was able to walk again. Christine almost stumbled and fell, but Rhodes held her up. Tony's friend may be more steady on his feet than she was on a normal day."No need to call the police."

"She assaulted me! I'm pressing charges!" Christine shrieked. "I'm calling the police!"

"Miss Everhart," Rhodes said gently, his voice surprisingly calm considering what had happened. "I am going to personally drive you to the hospital. We can discuss options on the way there. I will give Mr. Stark a call and see what we can work out."

Pepper's mouth dropped open. Wait, what? He was going to drag Tony into this? Christine Everhart was going to win this round? That was not okay with her. "Rhodey.."

Rhodes whispered something to Christine who nodded before he turned to face Pepper."I've got this."

"But I..."

Rhodes made sure Christine was steady on her feet before he stepped away from her and focused his attention on Pepper. He guided the upset redhead to a bar stool and forced her to sit down. "I've got this. Trust me," Rhodes assured her. "Sit here. Take a few minutes to yourself. You need it. Seriously, Pepper. Cool down before you make this worse."

"But I..." She didn't have a chance to interject her thoughts because Happy placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her away from Rhodes, back around to face the bar. The world actually spun a full three-sixty at the small movement. Maybe she had enough to drink. Her stomach lurched. "I guess I'm slacking as head of security because I should be escorting you out of here right now, right?" Happy asked, leaning in close. "But just between you and me, that was impressive. You've got a wicked right hook."

That made her smile. "Thanks, Happy."

"I have to do another sweep of the building and make sure things are secure, and I'm going to be tackling people who try and leave with footage of your little stunt. Are you going to be okay? No punching anybody while I'm gone."

Pepper rolled her eyes and forced a smile. "I'll behave." When he left, she put her head down on the bar. What are you doing, Potts? She couldn't believe she had actually hit someone. Never in her life had she actually gotten physically violent. It wasn't her style. Her mouth had always been her weapon of mass destruction. In the past, she never had to resort to using her fists, but Christine showing her that picture made something inside her rational mind snap. All of the bad things that happened today on top of the fact that Tony wasn't here to tell the bitch to shut up himself, had made her temper take over. Well, that's a typical redhead for you. She almost laughed because that is something Tony would tease her about. That's when her phone started ringing. It was Tony. A loud sigh escaped her lips. She may as well answer it. She couldn't put it off forever. "Hello?" She didn't even have the energy to lift her head.

"You actually punched Christine Everhart? What were you thinking?"

Pepper was actually shocked at how infuriated Tony sounded. She couldn't remember a time he had actually talked to her like that, as if she was a child in need of some serious discipline. She recognized it well. It was usually the tone she used with him. Her head shot off the bar as she jumped to her feet. Her pulse skyrocketed. It felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. Oh no. No way. He did not have the right to call her up and bitch her out. He wasn't even here. He wasn't here. And she was the one who had to entertain the girls of his past while he was out. Tears jumped to her eyes. Her mascara was about to be ruined.

"Do not use that condescending tone with me, Mr. Stark." She didn't even try to keep her voice down. Hopefully the music was enough to drown her out. "I wasn't the one who fucked her. That was you." She knew his past. He never tried to hide it from her so it was a low blow to say those words. She knew it was the wrong thing to say but the words came out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"That was over ten years ago! You are honestly bringing this up now? Do you know what I had to promise to do for her to keep you out of jail?"

Pepper visualized Christine and Tony naked in bed and shook it out of her head just as fast. He would never do that to her. He was a changed man. His favors would not be anything sexual in nature. "Well, if it's like the things I had to do for you in the past, I would call it even."

Tony sighed. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Why am I acting like this? Why are you defending her? I'm going to be your wife. You should be on my side. You weren't here. You don't know what happened."

"Pepper..."

"I'm done talking to you, Mr. Stark," and with that Pepper hung up the phone.

As soon as Pepper hung up without saying goodbye, Tony knew he was in the doghouse. He let his head fall against the steering wheel. Shit. This was definitely not how he planned this night to go. Tonight was supposed to be special but instead, here he was stuck in traffic, having arguments about a past one-night-stand over the phone with his fiancee. He hadn't meant to lose his temper with her but sitting for extended periods of time in gridlocked traffic will do that to even the most mellow person in the world. That on top of having to negotiate the terms in which Christine Everhart would not turn Pepper into the police, he was stressed to the max. Never in a million years did he think that Pepper would actually haul off and punch someone. I mean, if she was going to get in a physical altercation with anyone it would have been him. Back when she was his PA, he put her through so much shit. It honestly surprised him she hadn't smacked the crap out of him at some point. God. She really must love him.

Running a hand through his hair, he let out one of the longest sighs he ever had in his life before smacking his head against the steering wheel over and over. You are an idiot, Stark. You may be a genius but you are a huge idiot. He was definitely sleeping on the couch tonight. He would be lucky if she let him back into the building.

When he raised his head to check to see if traffic had moved, his eyes instinctively flicked to the rear-view mirror. He saw the reflection of lights coming closer at a high rate of speed. Too fast. He didn't have time to do anything but brace himself as the crunch of metal filled his ears. The last thought he had was of Pepper before everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Letting out a snarl of pure frustration, Pepper shut off her phone before slamming it down on the bar, exchanging it for her drink. It would probably be for the best if she just talked to Tony in person when he finally arrived. The phone conversations were not going well at all. No more phone for the rest of the night. She took a few swallows of her cocktail and sighed. There was no way this night could get any worse.

It was almost as if she had spoken the words out loud and the universe laughed at her because little did she know, things were just getting started. "Boss Lady." A female voice with an Irish accent coming from her wrist of all places almost made her drop her drink.

Luckily for her, she was able to catch it, juggling it in her hands before setting it back down on the bar. Her reflexes were still pretty good for being a little tipsy. She barely even spilled any of the liquid. Impressive, Potts. "Friday?" Pepper asked, holding the glowing bracelet on her right wrist up to her face. The bracelet had been an engagement gift from Tony. He had made it himself but she had no idea that it was much more than just a regular bracelet. He had actually put his AI into her engagement gift. He probably had a tracking device in there among other things she didn't want or need. Well, to be fair, her Tony was "go big or go home." Pepper frowned. He was in so much trouble.

"Sorry to interrupt, Boss Lady, but this is urgent."

Pepper rolled her eyes. She absolutely hated being called that. No matter how many times she told the AI to not, under any circumstance, call her Boss Lady and to call her Pepper or hell, even Virginia instead, she kept right on doing it. Tony must have told Friday to call her that and nothing else. After all, he thought it was hilarious how worked up she got over the nickname.

"Tony is in so much trouble for putting you into my engagement gift. When he gets here I'm going to..."

"Boss is in trouble."

The AI's words made Pepper shut her mouth out of shock. Anything she had been about to say about Tony's punishment was immediately forgotten. She shook her head and quirked her brows. "What?" That had definitely not been what she had been expecting to hear. "What do you mean trouble?"

"He was involved in an automobile accident. Medical crews are en route but they will not make it in time."

"What?" Pepper could hear her pulse pounding wildly in her ears. All around her, the loud music and happy people chatting seemed to fade into the background. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. There was only her in that moment. Her and her alone. It was hard for her to breathe. The medical crew wouldn't make it in time? Pepper was sure her heart stopped with that information.

"Do you need for me to repeat..."

Pepper cut Friday off. "No, I...Oh my God, Tony!" Her hand went up to cover the sob that came out. Tony was in trouble. Not just trouble, he was dying. She was on her feet in a flash, and time seemed to leap forward again. Her eyes darted around the room. She had no idea what the hell she was looking for or what she should do next.

"Might I suggest you remove your shoes and dress. It will free up your range of motion."

Friday's voice was the thing that grounded her. She blinked herself back down from her impending panic attack to reply. "Free up my range of motion? What?" How in the hell would stripping in front of her party guests help Tony?

"Remove your shoes and dress now. Every second you stall is a second that Boss loses. He doesn't have time to spare."

Well, she wasn't about to argue. If stripping in front of everyone would save Tony's life, she would do it., no questions asked. "Shit!" Pepper shouted, kicking off her shoes. One of them flew across the room, hitting someone in the back of the head and the other was caught one handed by Happy who was hurrying toward her.

"Pepper, what are you doing? If your feet hurt, you can just take your shoes off, you know. You don't have to chuck them around. You could poke someone's eye out. I think enough people have gone to the hospital tonight, don't you?"

"Unzip my dress," Pepper ordered.

"What?" Now Happy was the one with a hearing problem.

"Unzip my dress!" Pepper repeated as she turned to give him her back. "Now."

Now everyone in the room was openly staring at her, some with concern and some with curiosity but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was getting to Tony, and Happy was slowing her down.

She lost it. "Do it, Happy! Unzip it now or I swear to God I will lay you out like Christine!" Her tone must have been convincing because Happy surprisingly didn't try to argue. His hand found the zipper, and she felt cold air on her lower back and legs as the dress slipped off her shoulders and fell into a pile on the floor.

"Tony's gonna kill me," Happy whined. "This is my last night on this planet alive."

Pepper noticed that everyone had their phones out. Awesome. She was sure her standing there in her matching bra and panties was going to be all over the papers and tv tomorrow. Hell, someone was probably live streaming what they thought was her mental breakdown on Facebook. At least at the last minute before the party, she had decided to wear underwear or that would have made things a hundred times worse. But Pepper ignored them and focused in on the task at hand, getting to Tony.

"This good, Friday?"

"Perfect."

And that was when her bracelet came to life. All of a sudden, it felt like something was crawling over the top of her skin. Millions of somethings. Billions of tiny bugs crawling up her arm. Her eyes grew wide, stomach lurching violently. Oh God. She could actually see something crawling up her arm and it was spreading. Everywhere. She had to be hallucinating or maybe dreaming. Was she dreaming? Maybe she was currently passed out on the bar and when Tony got there he would wake her up, and everything would be okay. Please, be a dream. Please, be a dream.

"Your heart-rate is well above the normal range. Please try to remain calm. They are only nanites. They will not harm you."

Pepper furrowed her brow. Nanites? As in microscopic robots? Why the hell would Tony put nanites in her bracelet? It was only a few more seconds of the creepy crawly sensation until her question was answered when the familiar HUD display showed up in front of her face. She looked down at her feet and saw her legs were clad in red and gold armor. "Holy shit," Pepper whispered under her breath. Tony had put a freakin' suit in her engagement jewelry using nanotechnology. This must be a new prototype of his.

The last time she was in a suit was many years back when Tony's mansion in Malibu was attacked. Tony had signaled the suit to protect her, but she had only been in it a couple of minutes before Tony called it back to himself. She had no idea how to work this thing. She hoped it wasn't too difficult to figure out. "Friday, get me to Tony."

"Can do. Get outside." Friday didn't need to tell Pepper twice. Tony was counting on her. She sprinted through the crowd toward the door, pleasantly surprised at how light on her feet she felt. The armor was almost like a second skin. As she was about to run out into the storm, the world began to tilt and spin around her and she reached out a hand to steady herself on the railing. "I don't have to tell you I'm well over the legal limit to drive, right?"

"Got you covered, Boss Lady. I will get you there. Just hold on."

And within seconds, she was airborne, speeding faster than she had ever been in her life. Buildings and trees passed by in a blur. She squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of nausea hit her hard. How in the hell did Tony do this all the time? She was pretty sure being sober would not make this any better. She remembered Tony said you could pee in the suit but what about vomit? Was there a vomit bag in this thing? She hoped she wasn't too far from where Tony was because she honestly didn't know how much longer she could last and having a helmet full of puke was not a pleasant thought. She was relieved when Friday's voice echoed in her ears.

"I'm turning autopilot off. We're here."

Pepper forced herself to open her eyes as the ground rushed toward her. She wishes she could have landed the perfect superhero landing but alas, she was still a little wobbly on her feet from the liquor and the flying, stumbling and falling to her hands and knees instead. As she rose to her feet and took in her surroundings, a gasp left her lips. She was standing in the middle of the highway where a massive pile up had taken place. There were wrecked vehicles everywhere. The rain had let up a bit but thunder still rolled loudly above. "Talk to me, Friday." Before the AI could respond her eyes fell on a license plate on the ground mixed in with the piles of wreckage. With a shaking hand, she picked it up and felt the bile rising in her throat when she read it. Stark 9. Her eyes scanned the area but she couldn't find Tony's car. "Where is he, Friday? You said he was here."

"He is here. We are on a bridge."

That's when it hit her like a punch to the gut. He wasn't up here. He was down below. In the water. "Tony!" she screamed as she ran toward the destroyed guardrail. She had to get to him and fast. Without a second thought, she dove over the side into the water.

The water was murky and dark but luckily for her the HUD display made it easy for her to see. It seemed like there were hundreds of different things going on in front of her eyes, and she didn't know how to use any of the information. And all this time she thought she was better at multitasking than Tony. She was now pretty sure she was wrong. It didn't take too long for her to locate Tony's car, it hadn't shot that far off the bridge. It was completely submerged. She could see damage to the back and side of the car. The front window was shattered. The hood folded in on itself. The car had suffered several points of impact. She could see the driver's side door was partially caved in. The window had spiderweb cracks but still intact. The handle was gone. There was nothing to grab onto in order to get leverage to open it. With a tap off her closed fist, she broke out the window and easily yanked the damaged door from the car exposing Tony. He was still in his buckled in his seat behind the wheel unconscious.

The mere sight of him made her start gasping for air like she couldn't breathe herself. Her hands went up to claw at her closing throat. Black dots began dancing in front of her eyes as she tried desperately to suck in air. She was going to pass out. There was no oxygen. She couldn't breathe.

"You are okay. You are doing great. Focus on getting him out of the car."

There was Friday doing her job again, bringing her back to Earth. After this was all over, the AI could call her whatever the hell she wanted. She earned that right. The seat belt came off with a tug from Pepper's enhanced strength thanks to the suit, but when she went to grab Tony, he didn't come free.

"His right leg is trapped," the AI explained. "Likely from the impact with the guardrail. You need to free his leg first."

Fuck. Tears threatened to surface, but Pepper focused on taking calming deep breaths as she searched for the twisted metal that prevented her from pulling Tony to safety. She had to hurry. She couldn't freak out. Tony's life depended on her remaining calm even when every single cell of her body was screaming at her to freak the fuck out. There was no one else there to help him. This was on her. Whether he lived or died was all up to her.

It didn't take long to locate the damaged part of the vehicle that was compressing the lower part of Tony's right leg, and she freed him with a focused short repulsor blast. Blood seeped into the water from the jagged open wound on his leg. Pepper grabbed his limp body and threw him over a shoulder. "I've got him, Friday. Get us out of here."

Before she had finished speaking, she was shooting up toward the surface. In seconds, she was standing back on the shore, cradling Tony in her arms. Without having to say a thing, Pepper's face-plate disappeared. When she saw Tony without the HUD display in front of her eyes, she sobbed. He was lifeless. His thick dark hair was matted down to his head. His eyes were closed. His lips were blue. Pepper found she couldn't breathe herself. Not Tony. No. No. No. This couldn't be happening. There was no way this was really happening. She knelt down to lay him gently on the hard ground.

"No heartbeat detected. Begin CPR until medical help arrives," Friday's voice brought her back to reality for what seemed like the hundredth time and forced her to react, leaning over Tony's still form. She couldn't give up on him. Tony would never give up on her. "Wait, if you do CPR with the strength of your suit behind it, you'll crush his sternum."

Suddenly, Pepper's arms were free of the suit and she realized how cold it was outside. Her body shivered violently. Whether it was from the actual cold or from the fact she may have already lost Tony, she couldn't say.

"Place the heel of your hand on the center of his chest, then place the other hand on top and press down by 2 to 2.5 inches at a steady rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute. After every 30 chest compressions, give two rescue breaths."

"I know how to do CPR!" Pepper snapped at the AI, getting into position to begin chest compressions. "Stop talking. Just make sure the EMTs know exactly where we are."

Now she was glad she had been forced to take that First Aid/CPR course as part of being a Stark Industries employee. As she began the first round of chest compressions, the tears finally broke free. Her vision became blurry but she couldn't stop to wipe her eyes. "Come on, Tony Stark. You've never given up on anything in your life. You will not die. You hear me?"

After finishing the first round of compressions, she titled Tony's head back gently and lifted his chin with her fingers. It was hard to touch him when he was like this. It was like he was a shell. Just an empty shell. She shook her head violently. No, her Tony was still in there. You can do this, Potts. You have to do this. She pinched his nose shut before sealing her mouth over his and breathing for him. His lips were unnaturally cold. Lips that may never kiss her again. Another sob wracked her body as she started the next round of compressions. Stop thinking like that. He will be okay. He has to be okay. This is Tony Stark you are talking about.

Time seemed to be standing still. It was as if she and Tony were the only two people left in the entire universe. Another five cycles of compressions and rescue breaths were completed without any response. How long would she be able to do this? Her eyes narrowed like her focus. The answer was forever. Until Tony started breathing on his own, she would do it and if anyone tried to stop her, she would blast them into next week. Nothing would stop her from bringing Tony back to her. She refused to let him go. The last thing she had said to him had been terrible. She would never be able to live with herself if he didn't wake up. She wouldn't want to live on a planet without Tony Stark.

After another set of rescue breaths and just as Pepper was about to let out a wail of anger, Tony's body suddenly convulsed underneath her. Working quickly, she turned him to the side as he vomited up bile and water. A hell of a lot of water.

"Initial scans show breath sounds labored due to water in the lungs but pulse is strong," Friday said. "The medical response team will be here in minutes."

After he had finally stopped coughing, Pepper turned him gently onto his back, keeping her trembling hands on his shoulders. She didn't want to stop touching him. "Tony?"

Tony opened his eyes as much as he could manage since they had taken a beating in the accident. They were eyes that Pepper thought she may never see open again. "Pepper?" A violent coughing fit racked his body and when he inhaled, Pepper could hear how wet his lungs sounded.

Pepper shuttered at how difficult it was for him to do something as simple as breathe as she smoothed the hair back from his forehead. She couldn't stop the tears from falling onto his face, mixing with the rain. "Tony, just keep breathing. Okay, baby? Just breathe. You are going to be okay. You are going to be fine. I got you. I got you."

"I got you first." Tony smiled a knowing smile as he noticed what she was wearing. "I take it you like your present?"

Pepper let out a soft laugh. She couldn't be mad at him. "You are in so much trouble for that, Mr. Stark," she teased. The truth of the matter was, if she hadn't had the bracelet, Tony would be dead. Tony would be dead, and it would have been all her fault. She was the one always complaining about his obsession with his suits. Well, she got it now. She got it, and he could have all the damn suits he wanted as long as he stayed with her forever. She buried her nose into the crook of his neck, holding onto him like if she let go, he may slip away from her. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I'm sorry. Forgive me. Please forgive me. I love you. I love you so much."

"It's okay, honey. There's nothing to forgive." Pepper felt Tony's fingers thread into the hair that had fallen down on her neck. The familiar feeling made her bunched up muscles start to relax. "And you know I love you. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Pepper Potts. I don't deserve you." He pressed a chaste kiss to her ear.

Pepper hugged him tighter. "Yes, you do. You are a good person, Tony Stark. I just wish you saw yourself as I see you."

"Pepper!"A familiar male voice made her head whip up.

"Rhodey?" Pepper narrowed her eyes as she scanned the area for Tony's best friend. Looks like the cavalry had finally arrived.

"He's down here!" Rhodes yelled, signaling the EMTs to follow him as he slid down the embankment to where they were. He skidded to a stop and fell to his knees on Tony's side opposite of Pepper. "Holy fucking shit, Stark. What the hell did you do to yourself?"

Tony gave him a lazy smile before coughing a couple of times. "Hey there, platypus. I'm sorry. Did I interrupt your quality time with Christine? You can go back and check on her now if you'd like. I'm good."

Rhodes barked a laugh when Tony wagged his eyebrows at him. "Hey, at least you gave me a damn good excuse to leave her ass alone in the ER. I was tired of listening to her drone on and on. God, Pepper. No wonder you punched her. I was half tempted to myself."

In that very moment with Tony and Rhodey making jokes and laughing like old times, things seemed so normal that Pepper was actually able to give him a genuine smile.

By then the EMTs had finally made their way down the hill. Stepping away from Tony to let them do their jobs was extremely hard for Pepper to do. Rhodes must have realized she was having a hard time because he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer as they watched them work. Tony was strapped to a backboard before an oxygen mask was placed over his face. Another EMT wrapped his injured leg in bandages. Pepper and Rhodes trailed closely behind as Tony was carried up to the ambulance. As the EMTs were putting the backboard onto a gurney, ready to load Tony into the ambulance, it was then Pepper finally noticed the chaos that surrounded her on all sides. It was like a battlefield. She had been so hyper-focused on saving Tony that she hadn't realized how bad the accident was. So many vehicles were flipped on their sides or on their roofs. Some were on fire. They littered the highway for what seemed like miles and miles. There were emergency vehicles on the scene but obviously not enough of them because there were still more people than she could count, screaming for someone, anyone to help them. Their desperate cries made a shiver run down her spine.

Rhodes suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking Tony from her view. "They need your help, Pepper."

Pepper leaned to glance over Rhodes' shoulder at her fiance who was being loaded into the ambulance. "Me?"

Rhodes' hand under her chin forced her to look at him. His grip was firm but gentle. "Tony will be fine but there are people out there who are not fine. They need help and they need it now. You can help them."

Another scream of terror made her shudder. "But what about Tony?"

"I will go with Tony to the hospital, and I swear I will call you if anything changes but for right now, those people out there," he pointed to drive home his point, "need you more than he does. Tony may be Iron Man and I may be War Machine but you are a hero too. You are stronger than you realize." After giving her a smile, Rhodes exchanged a few words with an EMT before climbing into the back of the ambulance.

Pepper swallowed the lump in her throat that had formed during Rhodey's speech. Wow. He really believed in her that much? But why should he? Why should anyone? She was no Avenger. She was just plain ole Pepper Potts. "I'm no hero," Pepper whispered, lowering her eyes as she rubbed at the goosebumps that had formed on her exposed arms.

"You are to me," Tony said as his hand slipped into hers. He gave her a reassuring squeeze before pressing her knuckles to his lips. Pepper found herself tearing up again but for completely different reasons. When she met his gaze, the fierceness she saw reflected in his eyes made her believe him. "You are stronger than you give yourself credit for. I'll be okay. You already got me. Now go to the rescue, Pepper Potts."


	3. Chapter 3

Watching the ambulance leave with Tony without her in it was one of the hardest things she had ever done. She knew Rhodey would take good care of him but it didn't make it any easier to watch the taillights disappear into the darkness. But Tony and Rhodey were right. These people needed help. Her gaze refocused on what was going on around her. The nasty weather had caused a giant chain reaction of accidents that seemed to be spread out for miles. There was no time to count how many vehicles were involved because she was grabbed by a bleeding man who begged her to get his wife out of their car. He dragged her over to where his wife was trapped behind the wheel. With the strength of the suit behind her, she was able to push the steering wheel back and release the scared woman from her seat. Except from some cuts and bruises, she seemed okay.

Unfortunately, that was not the case for all of the people she was asked to help. Sometimes it was too late for her to do anything but listen to the sorrow-filled wailing of people who had lost their loved ones. It was tearing her up inside. It could have been you, Pepper. You could have easily lost Tony tonight. Another minute or so and he wouldn't still be here and you would have been the one mourning... Pepper shook her head and pushed those terrible thoughts to the back of her mind. Tony was here. Tony would be okay. Right now she had to focus on helping these people. They were the ones who needed her.

She had helped pull ten people including an infant out of their badly mangled cars when a hysterical young woman grabbed her arm and yanked her all the way around, gaining her full attention. There was a large gash under the woman's eyebrow. Mascara was running down her cheeks. Her dark eyes were red from the never-ending tears that slid down her cheeks in rivers. "Please. You have to help me. I-I thought she got off, but she didn't. She didn't get off. She has to be on there still. I left her. I can't believe I left her..."

"What? Who?" Pepper asked.

The woman pointed past the pile up of cars Pepper was focused on, and that's when she saw the city bus hanging over the bridge. It had crashed through the railing and was close to toppling over the edge.

"My daughter's on the bus!" The woman was pulling at her own hair now and wailing in grief. "My Millie. Oh my God. Please. Please help her. I left her. I left her."

Pepper sprinted toward the tilting bus, leaving the howling woman in her dust. A crowd of onlookers had gathered not far from where the bus was but none of them were brave enough to go back on board to help. Not that Pepper blamed them. She couldn't believe she was about to do it herself.

Moving as carefully as she could ever remember doing in her entire life, Pepper slowly entered the bus through the open door near the back. After each well thought out step she stopped, holding her breath as the bus groaned and swayed beneath her. If she wasn't sober earlier, she sure as hell was now. At first glance, it seemed to be empty. The lights inside flickered on and off as the vehicle teetered precariously on the edge of the bridge. Any redistribution of weight no matter how small could send the bus hurdling toward the ground. This was truly a teeter totter from hell, and she was on it with a small child. This was likely not going to end well.

"Millie? Millie, are you on here?" Pepper was afraid to move any further onto the bus, knowing that the tiniest bit of movement could send it plummeting over the side of the bridge. She couldn't risk putting anymore weight toward the front of the bus. The safest thing to do was finding a way to make the girl come to her.

A high pitch squeal alerted Pepper to the fact that she was not the bus' only occupant. "Holy cow, Iron Man?" The head of a small girl no more than six years old peaked out from behind one of the seats close to the front. At first she seemed excited but as she took the time to examine her rescuer, her brow furrowed. "Wait a second. You're not Iron Man." And then the little girl's head disappeared back behind the seat.

No. She sure as hell was no Tony Stark. She was no superhero. She was only Pepper Potts. She wasn't cut out for this. Her place was in an office or board room or even fielding questions from a room full of blood-thirsty reporters, not in an armored suit trying to rescue people from certain death. But Tony wasn't here, and she was.

The girl was clearly scared out of her mind. Maybe seeing her face would put the girl at ease, and get her to trust her enough to come out. As if reading her mind, the face mask suddenly disappeared, and Pepper almost stumbled back from the shock of it. Was the suit reading her mind? It was really starting to freak her out but she held it together. Right now remaining calm was the only thing that was going to get Millie out of there alive. Pepper forced a smile. "You're right. I'm not Iron Man. I do know him though."

Millie's head popped up again, and she gasped in shock. "Holy cow! You're a girl."

Pepper couldn't help it. Even in the direness of the current situation, she found herself chuckling at the girl's surprise. "Indeed I am. My name is Pepper."

"That is so cool." Millie was smiling now. "Nobody at school is going to believe this."

Now that Millie was so excited about Pepper's revelation, maybe she could get the frightened girl to come to her. Pepper dared to take another step onto the bus, stopping when it gave another loud groan. She froze in place, extending her hand in the girl's direction. "Millie, we have to get off the bus now, okay? Come to me. Just go slow. One step at a time. That's all you have to do. One step at a time."

"Okay, Pepper. Okay." Millie finally trusted Pepper enough to step out into the aisle. Her tiny knobby knees were knocking together in fear making it almost impossible for her to walk. Pepper could see the fresh blood streaking her face and coating the front of her frilly pink dress. A loud metallic screech filled the air drawing Millie's terrified gaze to the window to stare out into the darkness. Millie's lip began to quiver. She let out a sob and stopped where she was. "I can't. I can't do it."

"You can, Millie. I know you can. Don't look out there. Look at me. I'm right here." Pepper extended her hand a bit further, not daring to take another step. Any change in the distribution of weight no matter how small could send the bus crashing down into the ground below. "I'm not going to leave you, okay? We are going to do this together. Focus on me. One step at a time."

Millie took a deep breath and nodded before taking another step in Pepper's direction.

Pepper curled her fingers, motioning the girl forward. "That's it. Come on. Slowly. Slowly. Just like that. You can do it. You are doing it." The terrified child inched her way toward Pepper. This is actually going to work. We are going to make it. Millie's tiny trembling hand was only a few feet from hers when Pepper felt her equilibrium suddenly shift. She was out of time. The bus was going over the edge and taking them with it.

Millie let out a shriek as she fell backward, her arms windmilling helplessly as she tried to find her balance. Pepper felt her body tip forward as the bus began its downward descent. Out of the front windshield, she could see the ground rushing toward them. Pepper knew she only had seconds to act. She had to get them both out of there. Now.

Her face mask reappeared as she threw herself toward the Millie, wrapping an arm around her struggling form and tucked her close to her body. A repulsor blast easily blew out the damaged front window of the bus. Instantly, she was airborne with a screaming child in tow. An explosion to close for comfort made Millie shriek and scrabble to get a better hold on her rescuer. Pepper couldn't feel the heat of the fire through her suit but Millie must have because she yelped. Not far below them, the bus was now nothing but a pile of burning rubble.

Pepper was glad she was protected by the suit because Millie's grip around her neck would have likely popped her head from her shoulders. Who knew a little kid could hang on like a cowboy on a bucking bronco? Her second landing was far more graceful than the first one. Once she touched down on the road, Millie's mother was there in seconds, tearing the small girl out of her arms.

"Mildred!" The woman wrapped her arms protectively around her daughter, sobbing uncontrollably into the little girl's hair as she rocked her in her arms. "Oh my God. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll never leave you again. I promise."

Millie patted her mother's back, comforting her. "Mommy! Don't cry, mommy! I'm okay. It's okay. Pepper saved me."

The face mask disappeared again without her command. This time Pepper was ready for it, and it didn't scare her. After what had happened earlier with Tony and then on the bus, she didn't know if anything would scare her ever again.

The woman lifted her head and met Pepper's eyes. Pepper could see the gratitude reflected there even before she spoke. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Pepper felt her own eyes fill with tears but she blinked them back. "You're welcome. I'm glad I could help." Millie gave Pepper a giant grin, and Pepper noticed she was missing a couple of teeth. Pepper responded by giving her two thumbs up. Millie giggled as she slid down out of her mother's arms. "Hey, Millie. Good work. We make a great team, huh?"

"Sure do, Pepper. Who needs Iron Man when I've got you? Girl power forever!" Millie held out a fist for Pepper who gently bumped it with her own before turning back to her mother. "That settles it, mom. I don't want to be a teacher anymore. When I grow up, I want to be just like Pepper."

Pepper's throat tightened at the sincerity of the girl's words. The tears were threatening to surface again. So this is what it felt like to be someone's hero. There were no words to describe it. It was like no other feeling she had experienced before. Her heart felt like it was swelling in her chest. Okay, how in the heck could she blame Tony for wanting to feel like this now? She finally got it. She really did.

Millie glanced back over her shoulder at Pepper. The grin of happiness on her face became something else entirely. It was a look of fear. "Look out!"

Pepper didn't realize Millie was addressing her until it was too late. Millie's mother grabbed her daughter and yanked her backward as Pepper swung her head to the side. The glare of headlights were in her eyes, blinding her and then white-hot agony exploded in her head. Pain...so much pain...was all she could think as her vision faded into a blurry haze. Silently, she begged to pass out so she wouldn't have to feel anything anymore, and was grateful when her prayer was finally answered. The pain faded, and she let the darkness consume her.


	4. Chapter 4

Propped up on his hospital bed, Tony was already starting to feel much better. It was likely due to the painkillers but hell, he would take it over the alternative. Plus it helped take the edge off and let him relax. He had been threatening to remove the nasal cannula in his nose and rip off all of the monitoring equipment until they pumped him full of something to help with the pain in his injured leg, and his anxiety of being separated from Pepper. Luckily nothing was broken but the laceration was almost down to the bone and had required a hell of a lot of stitches to close it up. Now he was lying back, watching Rhodey surf through the channels on the tv. Normally it would bother him that Rhodey couldn't commit to a channel for more than five seconds at a time but now he could have turned on infomercials, and he wouldn't have cared. It did help that his eyes were partially swollen shut from his sunglasses' impact with his face from the airbag so he couldn't really see that far away anyway.

What a crazy day. He was supposed to be spending it with the love of his life, surrounded by family and friends celebrating his upcoming nuptials but here he was in a hospital bed with his car at the bottom of a fucking river while his fiancee was out saving the day. It didn't seem real. Maybe it wasn't real. Maybe he was hallucinating. Maybe he had been tinkering in his workshop and somehow fell and hit his head and he was still there...lying on the floor. That would make more sense than what was currently happening.

"Rhodey, is this real life?"

Rhodey shifted in his chair next to the bed. He didn't stop changing channels or even look his way but Tony could see a smile creep across his features and heard him laugh. "Sure is, Mr. Stank."

Even though he was as high as a kite, Tony immediately picked up on Rhodey's wise crack and smiled. Rhodey had told him he would never forget that, and he was keeping his promise. "Hahaha. Very funny, platypus. You are never going to let that die are you? And hey, it's not my fault if I currently smell rank. I was sitting in what was possibly raw sewage and God knows what else until Pepper pulled my ass out of the car."

Rhodey turned in his direction. The moment of humor between them was over. His smile was gone, replaced by a look of concern."How are you feeling?"

Tony gave a half-hearted shrug. "I feel good. Really good actually. I believe the doctor said if my stats stay the way they are, I can possibly go home tomorrow, which would be amazing because this bed suuuuuuuucks." Tony tilted his head to the side as he examined his friend. He could see the bags under his eyes and noticed the way he was slumped over in his chair. Rhodey was exhausted."You know, Rhodey, you don't have to stay."

Rhodey leaned in his direction. "I want to stay. I'm your friend, Tony. You were there for me when I needed you. Plus, I did promise Pepper to stay here with you and keep your ass out of trouble. And I want to avoid running into Christine Everhart at all costs. I would rather keep your ass in line all night long than spend one minute with that...lady."

Tony quirked a brow at him, noticing his exaggerated pause. "That wasn't what you were going to call her."

The ends of Rhodey's mouth turned up. "I decided to censor myself to try and stay classy."

"Always the gentleman, Rhodes," Tony said with a smile of his own. Tony could think of a lot of different names to call the reporter and none of them were remotely nice. His opinion of her had never really been positive. She was beautiful, yes, but that was were the good qualities ended. She was pretentious. She was calculating. The last adjective was clearly proven by her actions earlier that night. Most of him didn't blame Pepper for punching her in her perfect little nose. After all, Pepper claimed Christine showed her a picture of the one-night-stand he shared with the blond. That was definitely not one of his proudest moments, and then the following morning Pepper had been the one to throw her ass out. God. How did that wonderful woman put up with his undeserving ass all these years? Tony could only imagine how pissed off he would be if someone rubbed in the fact they had slept with Pepper. Just the thought of her being with someone else did not sit well him him. Now that he really had time to think about it, he was mad at himself for yelling at her in the first place. He needed to apologize for the way he acted.

Tony let out a long sigh, letting his head fall back against the pillow. God, he missed Pepper. He hoped she would show up soon. At the moment, he was going through some serious Pepper withdrawal. Maybe it was the medication making him a little loopy or maybe it was the simple fact he almost died earlier but he needed to see her immediately or he felt like he was going to go crazy.

Rhodey's attention was refocused on the tv. "Why is nothing ever on when you are trapped in a hospital? Like you aren't suffering enough while you are here already. The tv programming has to suck too." He finally stopped flipping when he came to a local news channel. "Holy shit. That accident was bad. I'm glad you walked away from that. Well, not technically walked away but you get what I mean."

At the mention of the newscast, Tony shot up straight in bed, focusing in on the tv. He squinted at the screen trying desperately to see what was going on but it was too blurry to make out much of anything. "You see Pepper?"

"Nah, man and she would stand out in the crowd wearing one of your suits. Maybe she is on here way here now."

"I hope so. I miss her," Tony admitted.

"I hope so too. I've had enough needy Tony Stark for one day. In fact, I think I've hit my quota for the entire year," Rhodey chuckled, only stopping when Tony glared at him. He shook his head. "Man, you've got it bad for her. Not that I blame you. You actually found someone to put up with your quirky ass. You better hold on for dear life and never let go of that woman."

"That's my plan. Not long from now she will be Mrs. Virginia 'Pepper' Stark." Just the thought of her taking his name as her own warmed his heart. She was going to officially be his. Forever. He was on cloud nine until Rhodey's next statement made everything come crashing down on him.

"She's seriously okay with changing her last name?"

Tony blinked at his friend in confusion. "Why wouldn't she be?"

"Well, with her being CEO of Stark Industries and all, I thought she was planning on keeping her maiden name..." Rhodey was rubbing at the back of his neck, turning away from Tony. "You know what? Just forget I said anything."

It was as if all of the pain meds in Tony's system had been sucked out because his head became clear, his thoughts hyper focused in on what Rhodey had just revealed. Holy shit. He knew something. That bastard knew something. All of the warm and fuzzy feelings he was having about Pepper were gone. He narrowed his eyes, his frown becoming more pronounced by the second. "Wait...did she talk to you about this?"

Rhodey picked up the remote and began to channel surf again, ignoring his death glare along with his question.

Tony's hands clutched tightly onto the thin sheet on his bed, becoming tight fists. Oh no. He was not going to let his friend ignore him. This was information he deserved to know. Why the hell didn't he know this? He was marrying Pepper in a few months for Christ's sake. "Rhodes?! Rhodes, you better answer me. Did Pepper say something to you about this?"

"Tony, I'm not getting into this."

Tony pointed a finger at him. "Oh, you are so already in this. There's no escape now. You will tell me what Pepper told you or else..."

"Mr. Stark?" An unfamiliar voice coming from the doorway interrupted his empty threat. A doctor stuck his head into the room and glanced around. His eyes were giant behind his Coke-bottle glasses. He was young with a prematurely receding hairline. He was completely frazzled by something. The white coat he was wearing was too big for his rail thin body.

"Yes, dear?" Tony spat at the doctor. It was an attempt at humor but it fell short because he was mad. He was so fucking mad. He wanted to strangle Rhodey for keeping something is important from him but why was he only mad at Rhodey? Why hadn't Pepper told him? He thought they could tell each other anything and if that was the case, then why the hell did she choose to keep something like this from him? Didn't she think he deserved to know?

The doctor was nervous. Tony was sure the angry expression on his face didn't help matters any. "Ummm, Mr. Stark, we need your help with something."

Tony sat up a bit straighter. "You need my help? With what? I'm not a medical doctor, you know. That's your job."

"I know that, Mr. Stark, but...well. Just bring her in here," the doctor ordered to someone outside the door and into the room was rolled a hospital bed.

When Tony saw who was lying motionless in the bed, he swore his heart skipped a couple of beats. All of the anger he was feeling was gone instantly. "Shit! Pepper!" His heart-rate shot up, the monitor beeping faster than ever as he stared at his fiancee. She was still in her suit. The only exposed part of her was her face. Her beautiful freckled face was cut up and bleeding. The bottom lip he loved to playfully bite while they were kissing was split open. He could see strands of her red hair peaking out of what remained of her helmet, the same red hair he loved finding spread over his pillow every morning. Her eyes were closed. Those depth-less blue pools he often found himself gazing into were shut, possibly forever. "Pepper!" he shouted. When she didn't respond to him, he felt his chest tighten painfully. He couldn't breathe again. He was back under the water. He was going to drown. His eyes filled with tears. No. No. Not Pepper. Please, not Pepper.

"Calm down, Mr. Stark. You need to remain calm. Getting your heart rate up in your condition is not ideal. You are still recovering. She is only unconscious," the doctor explained. "We just need to get this suit off her so we can access her injuries. We couldn't figure out how to get it off. Stay in your bed and talk me through this."

"Like hell I will," Tony growled, ignoring the doctor's advice and ripping the tubing and wires from his body. Nothing was going to stop him from going to her. He was a little unsteady on his feet but Rhodey was there to support his weight. The friend he had been tearing into moments before had always been someone to lean on, even when they had their disagreements. He was so glad he was there with him. He always had his back. Blinking away his tears, he forced himself to speak. "Friday, please update me on her status."

Friday immediately responded to his command. "She has received a concussion and lacerations to her face but all of her other vitals are within the normal range."

Tony lifted his lip in a partial snarl. "You let her get a concussion?! The suit should have protected her."

If he had programmed Friday to sigh, she likely would have. "I didn't let her get anything, Boss. She did not have the face mask up when the truck hit her."

Tony's mouth dropped open. If Rhodey hadn't been holding on to him, he would have fallen over. "What? A truck hit her? You are telling me a fucking truck hit her?"

"Ummm, Mr. Stark?" When Tony openly glared at the doctor for daring to interrupt the conversation he was having with his AI, the doctor motioned to Pepper's motionless body. "Mr. Stark, if you please?"

That brought him back down to Earth. "Friday." Tony didn't need to say more than that. The nanites quickly retreated back into the glowing bracelet on Pepper's arm. His eyes went wide at the revelation of what Pepper was wearing beneath the suit. Only a bra and panties hid her nudity and skimpy ones at that. He threw a glance back at Rhodey who immediately averted his eyes, pretending like he hadn't seen a thing. "What in the hell..." Tony yelled as he yanked the sheet off his own bed to cover her.

"I told her to remove her clothes to improve her range of motion," Friday explained. "It was only logical."

"Friday, I'm done talking to you. You will be lucky if I don't scramble your mainframe for this. Mute." Staring down at the person he loved more than life itself, Tony experienced the overwhelming feeling of guilt. This isn't Friday's fault. It's yours, Stark. You made her the suit. You got in the accident. You told her to help those people. If she dies, it's on you. It's all on you. "Pepper," was all he could bring himself to say before his voice broke. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, finally allowing the tears to come. "Pepper, I'm so so sorry. This is my fault. All of this is my fault."

The doctor cleared his throat. "Mr. Stark, we are going to take her for an MRI so if that bracelet has any metal in it, remove it now."

Tony felt a steady hand give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. He lifted his head. Rhodey kept his hand where it was, which Tony was thankful for. He needed his friend's support in this moment more than ever. Tony's normally steady hands were shaking as he reached down and gently removed the bracelet before taking one of her hands in his. She felt so cold. His Pepper was never this cold. She was always warm. So warm and alive. After waking up morning after morning finding himself sweating profusely because Pepper managed to drape herself over him at sometime during the night, he had started calling her his little furnace. Furnaces should always be hot. Not cold. Not cold like this.

He rubbed her limp hand against his cheek, treasuring the feel of her soft skin against the roughness of his facial hair. "You are going to be okay, Pep. I promise. Everything will be okay." He didn't know if he was talking to her or just to reassure himself because there was no way he could live in a world without Pepper Potts. That was just not possible.

"Mr. Stark," the doctor's voice drew Tony's tearful eyes up. "You need to get back into bed. We will alert you of Ms. Potts condition as soon as we know more. I will have the a nurse help get you re-situated."

Tony almost whimpered like a scolded puppy. He didn't want to be separated from her. He wanted to be by her side. If he let he leave again, who knows what would happen. He could lose her forever.

Another gentle squeeze to his shoulder drew his attention away from Pepper back to his friend. "Come on, man. She will be fine. Pepper is a fighter. You know that," Rhodey said. "She kicked Christine Everhart's ass, she can easily kick this."

Tony was surprised to hear what could pass as a laugh come out of his own mouth. Only Rhodey could get him to laugh when all he wanted to do was breakdown and cry. But his friend was right. Pepper was strong. She was stronger than he could have ever possibly imagined a person being. She was a million times stronger than he was. Even though it pained him, Tony allowed Rhodey to lead him back over to the bed as Pepper was wheeled from the room. One of the attending nurses reattached all of the wires he had pulled off and put the nasal cannula back in his nose. He watched curiously as she injected something directly into his IV line.

"I gave you a little something to help you sleep," the nurse casually added.

The nurse's admission made Tony's hackles go up. "What?" he shouted, half tempted to undo all the work she had done by jumping out of the bed a second time. No. He didn't want to sleep. He need to stay awake. Pepper was hurt. Pepper needed him awake. He couldn't sleep. Not now. "I don't need to rest. I'm fine."

"Mr. Stark, you've had a traumatic day..."

"I said I don't need to rest." Tony was talking over her now, growing more agitated by the second. "I want to be awake when they bring Pepper back. I need to know how she is. I need to know the extent of her injuries. When are they going to bring her back?"

"You need to sleep."

He pointed an accusing finger at the nurse. "No. What I need is to speak to your superior because you clearly..." Tony lowered his arm because it felt heavier than normal. Did the gravity in the room change? He blinked stupidly up at the woman standing in front of him. Fuck. What was he about to say? His tongue felt thick. His brain felt all wrong. "You clearly..." He clearly wasn't thinking clearly. Clearly. He couldn't see clearly either. Clearlllllllly.

"Rest," the nurse's voice was the last thing he heard before losing his battle against the sedatives.

"He's just sleeping, Pepper. He's fine." Rhodey's voice was the first thing he heard before opening his eyes. "He was pretty worked up when they brought you in so they gave him a sedative to help him sleep."

"Thanks for watching over him. It means a lot. You are a good friend."

"Pepper?" Her name had only been the breath of a whisper on his lips but she still heard him.

"Tony?"

God did he love the way she said his name. He could listen to her say it all day long. He forced his heavy lids to open and there in the bed next to him was Pepper. She was smiling at him. Her smile was the best thing in the world. It was better than anything he could create in his workshop. There was a Steri-Strip on her nose and she seemed a little worse for wear, her hair caked in dried blood and exposed skin covered in cuts and bruises but she was actually here and awake.

"Hey you," Pepper whispered in greeting.

"Hey yourself. How are you feeling?" He wanted to hold her so badly it hurt. The distance between them was only feet but it may as well been miles.

"My head hurts but they gave me something to help with the pain. I'm fine." She must have known he didn't believe her because she let out an exasperated sigh and added, "Tony, I'm fine. I swear. Try not to worry about me. You have it worse than I do."

"I always worry about you, Pep. Always. It's a hobby of mine." That much was true. When he wasn't tinkering around in his workshop or in her presence, his thoughts were always of Pepper. Especially after what had happened with Aldrich Killian. To this day, he still had nightmares of her screaming and writhing in agony, unable to reach her as the Extremis virus ravaged her body because he was zip-tied to a bed frame. She had begged and pleaded with him to make the pain stop but he couldn't. He couldn't do anything but watch her suffer. She trusted him to protect her and he had failed. Not long after that, he had missed her hand when she trusted him to catch her. He promised he would catch her. He made a promise but broke it. He had watched in horror as she fell hundreds of feet into the leaping flames below, unable to move...unable to breathe...

"You know another hobby of his is being a pain in the ass," Rhodey added.

Tony frowned at his friend even though he was secretly happy he pulled him out of the horrible flashback he was having. "Why are you still here?"

"I was being a good friend and keeping Pepper company until you woke up. Spending the night in this sorry excuse for a chair was not my idea of a good time. Trust me." Rhodey made a point to stand up and stretch, making over exaggerated grunts and groans to prove how uncomfortable it had been for him.

Tony managed to sleep through the entire night? "Shit! I didn't plan on sleeping that long. I don't think I've slept that long of a stretch in my entire life."

"It's okay, Tony," Pepper assured him. "You clearly needed the rest. And you know, if you count the number of times I found you passed out drunk after partying all night, you really weren't out that long." Pepper gave him a playful smile, wrinkling up her nose at him mischievously.

It was such an irresistibly cute move, he couldn't even find it in him to throw a quip back at her. "Very funny, Potts. You are lucky you are adorable."

Rhodey huffed at their flirting. "Are you two going to be okay if I go? I promise to check back in on your guys later but I have an important meeting to attend." Rhodey leaned over to give Pepper a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Happy popped his head in here earlier. He's around here somewhere. He may be in the cafeteria. I can let him know I'm going and that he is in charge now."

"We will be fine, James. Thank you," Pepper said. She grabbed Rhodey's hand, drawing his attention back to her. "I mean it...thank you for watching out for Tony."

"Well, somebody has to." Rhodey gave a laugh as he walked over to Tony's bed.

"I'm a little jealous of the lack of attention I'm receiving from you, Rhodey. Why does Pepper get all the love and affection? Don't I get a kiss before you go?"

Tony watched as Rhodey stopped next to him. He knew what his friend was planning to do and went along with it. Their eyes locked in a pretend passionate gaze as Rhodey slowly leaned in his direction. Tony could hear Pepper giggle from across the room as he closed his own eyes and leaned to meet his friend. Pepper snorted a laugh when their lips were only inches from each other. Their playful exchange was suddenly interrupted when a woman softly knocked and entered the room, pushing a machine. "I'm here to do your ultrasound, Ms. Potts."

At the appearance of the woman, Rhodey spun around as if she had actually caught him making out. Tony sat up straight. His brows drew together in confusion. Pepper was clearly confused too.

"Why do I need an ultrasound?" Pepper asked. "I already had an MRI. Is there something else wrong?"

"Oh, no. Not as far as we could tell," the woman assured her. "The MRI scan confirmed your pregnancy seems completely normal, but after the injuries you received, we want to do a more in depth ultrasound of your uterus just to make sure."


	5. Chapter 5

Even though there were currently four people in the small room, the silence was deafening. The only sound Tony could hear was his heartbeat thundering in his ears. He almost forgot to keep breathing. Whatever he had been expecting the woman to say, this was the last thing he could have imaged would come out of her mouth. Pregnant? Pepper was pregnant?

"I'm-I'm pregnant?" Pepper's voice was an octave higher than normal.

The ultrasound tech's eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth, immediately realizing her mistake. "Oh no. I assumed you knew. I mean, I was sure you knew otherwise I wouldn't have said it out in the open like this. I thought it said you were aware of your pregnancy in your chart. Oh my gosh. First week on the job and I'm going to get fired for violating HIPPA. I'm so so sorry, Ms. Potts."

Tony was so dazed he didn't realize Rhodey had moved until he was almost completely out the door. Sneaky bastard was making a clean getaway. "So, I'm gonna go now..." His friend was clearly out of his element and uncomfortable. Well, shit. He wasn't the only one but Tony didn't have the option of leaving. Even if he hadn't been injured, there was no running away from this.

"Rhodes..." Tony started.

"Nope. Not staying. I'm out." Rhodey gave him a wave and disappeared before Tony could get another word out of his mouth.

Tony turned his attention back to Pepper. The ultrasound tech was still apologizing to her profusely, the woman almost in tears about what had happened and Pepper was trying to assure her it was okay. That it was fine...but Pepper was pregnant. He was going to be a father. Was it fine?

Of course they had discussed starting a family to make sure they were both on the same page before they got married. Pepper told him she was one-hundred percent sure she wanted kids. He admitted he wasn't so sure. It wasn't that he was completely opposed to having children of his own but his own childhood wasn't a time he liked to look back on much. Yes, of course there were good times. His mom had made sure of that but his dad, his dad had been detached and cold toward him his entire life. He couldn't recall a time when his father actually told him that he loved him. He still vividly remembered the day he was shipped off to boarding school. His mom was standing in the doorway. He could see the tears tracking down her cheeks as she covered her mouth to block her sobs. But his dad... his dad couldn't even be bothered to leave his workshop to tell him goodbye. Wasn't he at least worthy of a goodbye?

"Tony?"

When the room finally drew back into focus, Tony noticed the tech had already setup and was ready to start the ultrasound. Wow. He must have been out of it for awhile. Pepper was staring at him, biting on her bottom lip as she searched his face, trying to figure out what he was thinking. He saw the nervousness reflected in her eyes. She was searching for some kind of reassurance from him that it was okay. That things were going to be fine but he couldn't give her any.

"Tony?" Pepper's voice was barely above a whisper.

God, Stark. Say something to her. Don't just sit there and stare, you idiot. She needs you. But he opened his mouth and nothing came out. For the first time in his entire life, Tony Stark had no idea what to say.

"If you wish to join us, Mr. Stark, I can have a nurse get you unhooked from all those machines. I do believe they are planning on discharging both of you later on today as long as everything looks good," the ultrasound tech said.

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be great," he heard himself reply but his head really wasn't there. It didn't feel like he was in his own body anymore. Nothing felt real. Pepper really couldn't be pregnant...could she? Pepper's worried eyes were still on him but he looked away from her. He didn't want to see the pain etched into her face that was caused by his own insecurities. Then why not fix it? Why not tell her it will be okay? Because I don't know if it will be okay! Tony snarled at himself. I'm clearly not father material. Hell, I wouldn't even know where to start.

"You can get up now, Mr. Stark." At some point during the argument with himself, a nurse had entered the room and removed the oxygen cannula, IV and monitoring equipment that kept him confined to the bed. "A doctor will be in soon to check you over before we discharge you but you can go sit by her if you want. Just make sure not to put weight on your right leg. You just had surgery and you don't want to tear out your stitches." The nurse handed him crutches.

"I got this. You can go. Thanks," he mumbled dismissing the nurse before she could offer him a hand. He didn't like feeling helpless. Using the crutches to support his weight, he hobbled over and plopped down in the chair next to Pepper's bedside. No matter how much he may have wanted, he still couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. He didn't want her to see how scared he was. Iron Man didn't get scared. He did find her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. He could feel her trembling and gave her hand a squeeze. She was scared too.

"Do you remember when your last menstrual cycle was?" the ultrasound tech asked.

"No," Pepper replied.

"Looks like you are probably around ten weeks," the ultrasound tech said after awhile. "That's my best estimate."

Tony couldn't help it. That peaked his interest and made him bring his gaze up to the screen. The scientist in him always thought reproduction was pretty damn cool. Or maybe it was just the guy in him. Who knew? His eyes locked on the screen, and he felt his heart flutter in his chest. Holy shit. This was his baby. This was Pepper's baby. Their baby. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. It was a million times cooler than anything he could ever create in his workshop. He could see all the little fingers and toes. He watched as the tech moved the wand over Pepper's belly, and the image on the screen changed drastically. He narrowed his eyes as his brain processed what he was seeing. Then when it finally hit him, his eyes went wide. "Is that what I think it is?"

The ultrasound tech smiled warmly at him. "Sure is."

"What?" Pepper sounded worried. "Is there something wrong?"

"No. No, nothing is wrong. Congratulations. You are having twins."

"What?" Tony didn't think Pepper's voice could go any higher than it did earlier. Boy, was he wrong.

"Well, you are over 35 and women your age have higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormones and are more likely to release more than one egg per cycle. It's really not that uncommon."

"Twins? I didn't even know I was pregnant and now I'm having twins?"

"You honestly had no idea?" The tech asked.

"No. No. I mean I have gained a bit of weight but I just thought it was because I had been stress eating. And I have been feeling sick in the mornings. And I guess my breasts have been extremely tender. Oh my God. I missed all of the signs. I watched that show 'I Didn't Know I was Pregnant' and I was shocked how woman could possibly miss they were having a baby but now that's me. I did that." Pepper let her head fall back on the bed, throwing her free arm over her face to cover her eyes.

The tech took her time measuring while Tony kept his hold on Pepper's hand and his eyes on the screen in front of him. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to say. "Well, looks like you are having two healthy babies at this point. You are very lucky, Ms. Potts. Well, I'll leave you two alone so you can process this together." The tech gave Tony a smile before packing up her equipment and leaving them alone in the room.

It was then Tony finally turned his attention to Pepper. The arm she had been using to cover her face had fallen to the side. Her eyes were closed, not just closed but squeezed tightly shut. Her entire face was contorted as if she was in pain. Of course she was. He did this to her by not reassuring her that things were okay between them. She probably thought that he hated her. God. That was the last thing he wanted her to think. This was about his own insecurities. It had nothing to do with her. "Pepper? Pepper, look at me. Please look at me."

Pepper opened her eyes but refused to meet his gaze. Her eyes nervously darted everywhere around the room but at him.

"Virginia Potts, would you look at me, please?"

Those big blue eyes he loved so much filled with tears as she finally met his gaze. Her bottom lip was out. Her chin was quivering. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Tony."

Tony's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "For what exactly?"

"This is my all fault. At some point, I obviously forgot to take my birth control pills. I was so busy trying to plan the engagement party and figure everything out for the wedding..."

"Pepper..."

"The dress and the invitations and the flowers. And keeping up with work..."

"Pepper."

"And worrying about you because you are Iron Man, for crying out loud. And you are out there risking your life and there's nothing I can do but wait and see if you'll come back to me..."

"Pepper!"

"And oh my God. Maybe it was when I took that antibiotic when I had that sinus infection a few months back. I can't believe I didn't think to tell you to use protection..."

Tony stopped Pepper's rant with a finger to her lips. "Pepper, you will stop rambling for a minute and let me talk for once?" When she closed her eyes and the tears finally fell, it broke his heart. God. He was such an asshole for leaving her hanging for so long. He could feel the guilt radiating off her in waves. But he didn't blame her. Not at all. He reached out and cupped her cheek, finally relaxing a bit when he heard her sigh and lean into his touch. He gently wiped away her tears with a thumb."Pepper, please. I hate seeing you cry. I'm not mad. I swear. I'm not. I'm just shocked."

"But you didn't know if you wanted kids and now." She gestured to her stomach. "You're kinda stuck."

"Pepper, it's not that I never wanted to have kids. It's just that..." Tony stopped but the way Pepper urged him on with her intense gaze made him finish. "It's just that I don't know if I'd be a good father."

That made her sit up in bed. She swiped at the few tears he missed. "What? You'll be a great father."

Tony shrugged and hung his head. "I didn't exactly have the best role models growing up, Pep. I had my dad who never seemed to give a shit about me. Even though I loved him so fucking much and tried so desperately to please him, I never knew if he truly loved me back. It always seemed like I was never good enough for him. And then there was Obadiah who I looked up to and was there for me when my parents died and was like a second father to me, he wanted me dead. How can you be so sure I would make a good father?" Now he was the one who needed reassurance from her.

Pepper lifted his chin. "Because I know you better than you know yourself. You have been putting others before yourself for years. You are fiercely loyal. You are protective. Yes. You still have an ego bigger than the ocean is deep..."

"Hey..." Tony pretended to be offended.

Pepper gave him a mischievous grin. "But you are the most giving, loving person I know. Plus, I'll be there with you along the way. I won't allow you to fail. I've kept you on track all of these years. Do you really think I would let you mess something this important up? If I did, I wouldn't be doing my job. Now would I?" She had easily slipped from being serious into teasing him. It was definitely a familiar daily routine between them.

That pulled a smile out of him. "But you're not my PA anymore."

"Nope. I'm just going to be your wife is all."

"I hope when you marry me that you don't begin to regret you aren't only my PA anymore because at least back then you got paid vacation time away from me."

Pepper's answering laugh was like music to his ears. He was so glad she wasn't crying anymore. He was beginning to feel a little better about everything but then Pepper's words made him think about what Rhodey had brought up earlier. Learning about Pepper being pregnant had almost made him forget. It was not the time or place to bring it up because hell, they had just found out they were having not one but two babies, but once again, he just couldn't help himself. "So, Rhodey mentioned something interesting to me earlier."

Pepper's eyebrows climbed skyward. "And what exactly would that be?"

"That you weren't planning on taking my name." He hated himself for saying it but dammit, he was a little upset that she had never talked about this with him. And yet she told Rhodey. Rhodey was his friend. Why was she talking to him about it in the first place?

Pepper sighed. "Tony, can we not do this right now?"

"So it is true."

"Tony..."

He knew that tone. He knew it well. Over the many years Pepper had worked as his PA, he became very familiar with the, 'don't even thinking about going there, Tony' tone. She used it with him quite often. He knew he was pushing her to anger but he couldn't find it in him to stop. "What's so wrong with my last name?"

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's just all of the business relationships I've made and all of the work I've done over the years was under my maiden name. Keeping my name will allow me to retain my professional identity. "

"And you think taking my name will erase all of your hard-work? Is that it? You know, you did start out working for me all of those years ago..."

Pepper sighed again. This time with more force behind it. "Why do you care what my last name is anyway? I thought you liked calling me Potts."

That was true. "I do."

"Then what's the problem?"Pepper crossed her arms snugly over her chest staring at him, daring him to tell her exactly what he was thinking.

Tony wasn't about to back down. "You know what the problem is, Pepper!" She was as bullheaded and stubborn as he was. He stopped himself from continuing before he said something he might later regret. Taking a moment to pause, he took a few breaths. "So when the twins are born, what will their last name be?"

"Potts-Stark."

Tony blinked at her stupidly. "Like with a hyphen? Are you serious? You can't be serious..."

"I'm very serious. Come on, Tony. You know this is all your ego talking right?"

"My ego?" Okay, so maybe she was right. Maybe it was his ego overriding his rational thoughts but he couldn't help it. He had always thought she would take his name. That she would be Virginia 'Pepper' Stark. He wanted the entire world to know she was his. Yeah. Okay. So maybe feeling that way was some unsolved caveman shit deeply ingrained somewhere in his DNA. He knew he didn't actually own her. If anything she owed him but still. Pepper Stark just felt right. If she didn't want to take his name, why didn't their current arrangement work for her? "So, why are you marrying me then? Is it to lock-down your piece of Stark Industries?"

Pepper's face turned bright red. "Are you serious?!"

Oh shit. He overstepped. He overstepped big time. He knew she was marrying him because she loved him and for no other reason. The money didn't matter to her. It never had. He hadn't meant what he said but he had said it anyway. And now Virginia Potts was going to rain down hell-fire on his ass, and he would deserve every second of it.

"Hey, you two. Have you been discharged yet? Rhodes told me to check in on you guys." Happy Hogan strolled into the room, seeming like he didn't have a care in the world as he ate a snack-size bag of Chex Mix. He was busy digging around in the bottom of the bag so he didn't notice the crazy amount of tension until he looked up. His hand stopped inches from his mouth before finally popping the last few pieces into his mouth and chewing slowly. "Oh, boy. What did I walk in on?"

"Nothing," Tony and Pepper said in unison, both of them crossing their arms and turning away from each other.

"Oookay then. Well, the doctor said he was going to check you both over soon so we can scoot on outta here." He tossed the empty bag in the trash and threw a thumb in the direction of the door. "Want me to go grab the doc now?

"That would be great, Happy. Thank you," Pepper said, her voice extremely calm for having been screaming at Tony seconds before. "I hate this place."

That was an understatement. Tony absolutely despised hospitals. He always had. Even when he was badly banged up after a mission, he never went to a hospital for help. He avoided them at all costs. Sometimes Pepper begged to take him in but he would always refuse. She had to call a doctor to come to him several times to fix him up. Maybe that was why he currently felt like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin. He needed to get out of this place before he said or did anything else completely stupid and messed things up with Pepper further. He rose to his feet. The crutches were completely forgotten until he got halfway across the room and a burst of pain shooting up from his calf made his leg crumple uselessly beneath him.

"Tony!" Pepper gasped as she watched Tony fall.

But Hogan was there to stop him from collapsing, putting a steady arm around him. He guided Tony over to the bed and made him sit down. "Stay here. Don't you move from this spot. You two behave while I go get the doctor." He looked from Tony to Pepper and back again. Neither of them wanted to meet his eyes. "Sheesh. I can't leave you two alone for five freakin' minutes. I deserve a raise."


	6. Chapter 6

It didn't take them long to get checked over by the doctor and get the okay to be discharged from the hospital. They were given specific instructions on how to care for the injuries they received along with an array of many different medications. Most of them were for Tony. Luckily for them, Happy had thought ahead and had brought them both a change of clothes because that was honestly one of the last things on Pepper's mind. Although after catching several glimpses of Tony's perfect ass through the back of the hospital gown, she had to admit she really didn't really mind that look on him at all.

After they were dressed and heading toward the exit doors, Pepper saw the flashes of cameras through the glass and reality slammed back into her. Just when she was starting to feel relived that it was all over. It had really only begun. The paparazzi had found them. Now that the adrenaline was finally filtering out of her system, she did realize she should tell the press something about what happened. She was one-hundred percent sure someone had to have released a video and pictures of her from the engagement party fiasco. There were too many people for there not to be some floating around out there in cyberspace. Now she had to explain to the public why she, the CEO of Stark Industries, had taken off her dress in front of her party guests, and try to get them to believe she was not a superhero like Tony. Total piece of cake, right? Pepper sighed. If it was anything like what happened when Tony announced to the world he was Iron Man, she was so screwed.

Happy opened the doors, ushering them toward the car as fast as he could could manage with Tony on crutches, trying to shield them from the rush of reporters.

"Mr. Stark, can you tell us about the extent of your injuries?"

"Ms. Potts, can you comment on what happened last night?"

"Mr. Stark, is it true Ms. Potts saved your life?"

"Ms. Potts, is it true you are now a superhero?"

"Mr. Stark, what is your take on your fiances' striptease at your engagement party without you present? Since she is CEO, do you think her outlandish behavior will reflected badly on your company?"

Having dealt with the media his entire life, Tony was usually good about not letting reporters get to him. Well, except that one time during the whole Mandarin incident where he grabbed someone's phone and threw it against a wall, smashing it into tiny pieces. This was after threatening a terrorist on live television. But to be fair, Happy had just been badly injured, and because of it Tony was extremely on edge. They all had been. But usually, under most circumstances, Tony could control himself. Pepper knew he could take it if they personally attacked him. He was used to it but when they went after her, that was when Tony lost his mind. This was not going to be good. This was not going to be good at all.

"What did you just say?" Snarl on his lips, teeth bared, Tony dropped his crutches and was rounding on the man when Happy clamped a hand down on his shoulder. He whispered something harshly into Tony's ear. Pepper could not make out what was said over the onslaught of questions, but whatever it was, it did not seem to phase Tony. Pepper could tell he was seconds away from decking the guy. Oh God. That would be a PR nightmare. They already had to deal with the aftermath of her punching Christine Everhart. She really didn't want to have to deal with Tony decking a reporter even if he could claim he was only defending her honor.

"Tony!" Pepper stepped between her fiance and the reporter. Clutching Tony's face in between her hands, she forced him to look at her. She could see the rage in him boiling just below the surface. "He's not worth it. Okay? Let's go." Her words must have gotten through because he didn't try to pull out of her grasp. He settled for giving the man another vicious glare before Happy stepped in to help him limp the rest of the way to the car. Pepper allowed Tony to get settled in before she slid into the seat next to him.

Happy made sure they were both safely inside the vehicle before returning to retrieve Tony's crutches, tossing them into the trunk. "I'm sorry about that, guys. That was nuts," he said as he maneuvered the car around the swarm of reporters. "They are like freaking vultures. I kind of want to run them all down. And I don't blame you for wanting to punch the guy, but Boss, you know that would only make more work for Pepper, and I don't think you want to do that."

"No." Tony crossed his arms. "Of course I don't but I don't like them talking about her like that either."

Pepper could hear him grumbling to himself under his breath so she reached out and laid her hand on his arm. "Thank you for not laying that guy out and making more work for me. I really appreciate it."

The grumbling stopped, and one side of Tony's mouth quirked up in a partial smile.

Happy glanced back at them in the mirror. "Just so you know, before anyone left the party, I confiscated all electronic devices and made them delete all pictures and videos of you. Friday also worked some of her computer magic and deleted any of the videos or images that surfaced online but obviously someone got a hold of them anyway. I'm sorry. I really tried."

"It's okay, Happy. I'm not worried about it," Pepper said.

"Well, if we knew who leaked the videos, you could make sure you didn't invite them to your wedding."

The wedding. Happy's mention of their upcoming wedding made Pepper's grip on Tony's arm tighten involuntarily as she remembered the nasty fight they just had about it.

Tony must have gotten the same idea as her because he was suddenly giving her his best sad puppy dog expression. It would have been more effective if his face hadn't been battered and bruised from the accident. Although it did make him look a hell of a lot more pathetic. "Pepper, are we going to talk about earlier?"

"Let's not do this here, Tony."

He frowned at her before pulling his arm out of her gasp and turning to face the window, taking her unwillingness to speak with him about their argument as her being angry, but she wasn't mad at him. If she was mad at anyone, it was herself for the way she handled things. Tony had the right to be upset. She hadn't gone to him with her concerns. No. She had gone behind his back to talk to his best friend about it. She and Rhodey had gotten close when Tony had disappeared in Afghanistan all those years back, and she still talked to him for time to time but what the hell was her excuse for not going directly to Tony now? He was right here in front of her face.

"Tony?" Tentatively, she reached out to touch his shoulder. Tony then did something completely out of character and shrugged her hand off, still refusing to look her way. Pepper could feel her throat closing up at his small action. It wasn't like him to reject her affection even when he was upset with her.

"Give us some privacy, Happy," Pepper ordered. As soon as the divider went up and they were no longer being watched, Pepper unbuckled her seat belt and crawled over to Tony. He still wouldn't glance her way. "Tony, please..." Still no reaction from him. God, she had really hurt him. That was the last thing she wanted to do. He had to know how much she loved him. He had to. She told him several times a day, every day.

He continued to stare out the window, pretending to be adsorbed in the scenery but she knew he wasn't. Even though he tried to hide it, she could see the pain in his face and it wasn't caused by the car accident. It had been caused by her. She couldn't hold herself back from him any longer and found herself scrambling across the seat and into his lap. Her arms wrapped around his chest in a fierce embrace as she nuzzled into his neck seeking to comfort him and if she was being honest with herself, she needed it too. If he pushed her away, if he rejected her, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Her heart would break into a million unfixable pieces. "Tony," her voice cracked as she said his name. "Tony, I love you. I love you so much." She couldn't stop herself from kissing him anywhere she could currently reach. His neck. His jaw. His ear. His cheek, shuddering when his facial hair tickled her skin.

When she felt his arms strong arms wrap around her, she almost cried out in joy. She felt him press a kiss to her head and she shivered, relishing the physical contact he was giving her. "I love you too, Pep. You have me forever. You know that. Nothing in this universe or any universe for that matter will change that. Nothing." And then his hands moved to glide up and down her back. Now he was comforting her.

Great. Here comes the waterworks. Pepper couldn't say anything else or she would lose it. She would start bawling like a baby. Why did she think she deserved a guy like Tony? He was completely devoted to her. He had been for years. She is pretty sure she could run him over with a bus and he would stay and blame it on himself. Why the hell was she making a big deal about changing her name? It was just a name after all. A stupid name. If it meant so much to Tony, why did she have to fight it? Was she deliberately trying to hurt him? To get back at him for his past indiscretions? Why would she want to punish him? He had suffered enough. Tony already felt like he had to carry the entire weight of the world on his shoulders. To this day, he still blamed himself for not being aware that Obadiah had been double dealing weapons under the table to terrorists. He still blamed himself for not protecting her from Killian. He still blamed himself for Ultron and what happened in Sokovia. He blamed himself for the "break" they took. She knew that no matter how much good he did, in the end it simply wouldn't matter. It would never be enough to erase the past mistakes in his eyes. God. Couldn't she just find it in herself to give him a freaking break?

When she realized she was going to start crying unless she found a way to distract herself, she came up with the perfect plan. Her hands moved to tangle in his dark hair, tilting his head to the side as she sucked greedily at his pulse point. She was rewarded with a groan from his lips. She was glad he had decided to grow his hair back out. While he was clearly attractive no matter what he did with his hair, she loved when it was longer and started to have a slight curl to it. It was so soft and belonged between her fingers. One of her favorite pastimes was playing with it while she drifted off to sleep at night but sleep was currently the last thing on her mind . Her tongue slowly traced the shell of his ear before nipping at the lobe and sucking it into her mouth.

That made Tony's hips raise up off the seat. "Mmmmm, Potts," he murmured against her, the heat of his breath making goosebumps form on her skin. "You keep it up like that and I won't be able to stop myself from turning this car ride from PG into NC-17 and you know how much Hogan hates that."

Pepper giggled as Tony began to trail wet kisses down her neck toward her collarbone Yes, she did know. Over the years, poor Happy had caught them getting frisky more times than she would like to admit but even with that being the case, she couldn't bring herself to stop the slow luxurious journey of Tony's mouth over her body. She needed this. They both did. She needed to feel him close. After the car accident and then the nasty fight, she needed to know things were still okay between them, that he still wanted her. And from the tightness of his pants as she straddled his lap, well, it was obvious he did.

"Tony Stark, I need you. I need you now." That was all she had to say. His response was immediate. His hands were like fire, tracing scorching flames over every inch of her exposed skin. His mouth was all over her, making her pant and arch up against him, begging for more. It didn't matter how many times he touched her. Her body always responded like it did the first time they were together. Tony Fucking Stark could just look at her and get her all hot and bothered.

"Pepper, you are so beautiful." Tony's hands were fumbling for his own seat belt as he tried to free himself. Pepper helped release him and within seconds he was on top of her, pushing her backward onto the seat. Her eyes rolled back into her head as his hands slid underneath her shirt, knuckles skimming along the skin of her abdomen.

Pepper's eyes were closed, her focus on what Tony's amazing mouth and skillful hands were doing to her body so she was completely unprepared when Happy's voice filtered into her thoughts. "So...I hate doing this because I have a pretty good idea what's going on back there, but I'm currently in the drive-thru at Burger King so I have to ask...you guys want anything?"

Pepper's eyes flew open. When she noticed Happy had rolled down the divider a couple of inches to address them and that she hadn't merely imagined it, her eyes narrowed. Was he being serious right now? There was no way either of them would be in the mood for freaking food right now. Couldn't he tell they were busy? The only thing she was hungry for was Tony.

"You know I do. Get me a couple of cheeseburgers. Anything for you, Pep?" He was looking down at her expectantly, Cheshire cat smile plastered across his face.

Okay, well. She was obviously wrong. Tony clearly had other things on his mind. "Tony Stark!" Pepper growled, no longer in the mood to mess around, and tried to push his head away when he began to lower it back toward her neck. She smacked the wandering hand that was trailing up the inside of her thigh before it reached its intended target. "Are you kidding me right now? You would rather eat than fool around with me?" She wasn't really upset. Just a little annoyed that their moment had been so rudely interrupted so she honestly wasn't trying too hard to get him to stop.

Tony whimpered, nuzzling his nose into her neck in an apology. "But I'm so hungry, Pep. Hospital food is terrible. And I can eat and fool around. It's called multitasking. It's one of the many things I'm good at. You know, you should probably eat too. You know, since you are eating for three now..."

The car jolted to a sudden stop, throwing Tony to the floor. Pepper shot up straight in her seat, reaching out to help pull him back up. Once he was sitting next to her again, her hands were all over him, inspecting him for any new injuries. "Oh my God! Tony, are you okay?"

"Happy, what in the hell?" Tony grumbled as Pepper's fingers traced the outline of his face, searching for any new damage.

"I hit someone's car," Happy admitted.

"You hit someone's car while in the drive-thru? What is wrong with you?" Tony asked as Pepper continued to examine him. When he noticed the worry on her face, he grabbed her wrists and gently pulled them down. He leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips. "I'm fine, Pep."

Happy let out a frustrated sigh. "Hey, I just learned Pepper was pregnant with what I am assuming is twins, is that right? So I may have been a little distracted. It's not my fault you two can't keep your hands off each other. There are seat belts back there, you know." He muttered to himself for a few seconds what sounded like a string of curse words before speaking loudly again. "Shit. I'll take care of this."

"Wait, you are still getting me my burgers, right?" Tony's question was lost as Happy put the divider back up and stepped outside the car. "I'm not going to get any, am I?"

When Pepper met his eyes, she knew he was no longer talking about food. It was a little amusing how fast he switched off and on. His mind was definitely an oddity. A beautiful oddity. She pursed her lips. "Hmmm...right now? No. Later? Maybe."

Tony rubbed his chin. "All I get is a maybe, huh? Guess I deserve that. But you know what? I thought I was fine but maybe I'm not."

"You're not?" Pepper's playfulness switched off, and in a beat she was back in panic mode. After all, it wasn't that many hours ago that he had almost drowned. His heart had actually stopped beating. Technically, he had been dead. Oh God. He had been dead. Maybe they shouldn't have left the hospital so soon. Maybe they should go back. If something happened to him, she would never be able to forgive herself.

"Nope. In fact, I think I have a major problem."

Pepper's eyes went wide in fear. "Where?" Her heart was hammering hard in her chest. She was close to leaping into the driver seat and driving him back to the hospital. If something really was wrong with Tony, Happy would forgive her for leaving him behind. "What is it?"

"Here let me show you." Gently, Tony grasped her wrist, guiding her hand toward the area of his discomfort."Right here." His crotch.

"Tony Stark!" Pepper squealed as she swatted at him playfully. Tony snickered, putting his arms up to defend himself against the onslaught of blows. She only got a few hits in before he had her on her back once more, arms pinned to the seat next to her. "You big jerk. You had me so worried."

He wagged his eyebrows at her before releasing her arms. He brushed the hair that had fallen over her eyes away from her face. "So, do you think you can help me with this problem, Nurse Potts, or do I need to seek further medical assistance?"

"I'll see what I can do, Mr. Stark." Pepper wound her fingers into his hair and pulled him down into a kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

Virginia "Pepper" Potts, CEO of Stark Industries had actually hauled off and punched her in the goddamn face. The Pepper Potts that most people knew, the one depicted widely by the media, was so put together. So proper. So collected. The perfect picture of a what a professional business woman should be. The tipsy woman that cocked her fist back and knocked her senseless out of pure jealousy was not that Pepper Potts.

As Christine sat at her desk trying to get some work done the day after getting knocked on her ass, her nose kept throbbing in time with her pulse, making it difficult for her to concentrate. God did she need to up her pain meds because this...this was hell. The doctors actually had to reset her nose. She had to have surgery all because Tony Stark's bitch had broken her perfect nose. If it didn't look exactly the way it did before it was broken when it healed, she would not be happy. Looking back on it, maybe she should have called the police and pressed charges. That would have taken the woman down a few notches. Miss prim and proper Pepper Potts put in handcuffs and shoved in the back of a police cruiser...a smile played at Christine's lips when she imagined what her mugshot would have looked like. Okay, now that would have been the story of the century. Christine knew for a fact that Pepper's record was spotless. It was one of the things she looked into long ago when she was searching for a story to drag Pepper down after she became CEO of Stark Industries. But of course she found nothing. There was absolutely nothing juicy on Pepper Potts. Only a few speeding tickets. How utterly disappointing. There was no way someone could be that perfect and yet...she was. Just yet another reason to hate her.

The only thing that stopped her from making the call to the police that would change Pepper's image forever was Tony Stark promising to give her the interview of her life. And to be honest, she was hoping for much more than just an interview from him. Maybe if she got enough drinks in him she could lure him back into bed with her. Christine felt her body growing warmer at the thought of bedding Tony Stark a second time, feeling those gloriously talented hands touching her all over her body.

Tony was the man to which she compared all her other lovers. There was no one before him and no one after. That was sad to say since she had actually gotten married but her ex-husband Roy could never compare to him. No one could. In fact, whenever they had been in bed together, she imaged he was Tony. No matter how hard she tried to stay in the moment with him, whenever she closed her eyes it was Tony on top of her. Tony under her. Tony everywhere. It was one of the main reasons she left his ass. He wasn't half the man Tony was. If it weren't for their son, she wouldn't want to have any contact with her ex at all. Her ex could never satisfy her in bed. Eventually, even the sound of his voice bothered her. She couldn't stand to be around him. She couldn't stand to even look at him. There marriage didn't even last a year. Roy may have money but he was no Tony Stark.

She wanted to hate Tony for sleeping with her and then discarding her like the trash that Pepper had the gall to call her but she just couldn't. He was too smooth. Too desirable. Too fucking perfect. No matter what happened, she would never be able to get over Tony Stark. Just when she thought she had finally gotten over his ass, he had announced he was Iron Man and that had made him all the more desirable to her. This was a man with a purpose. A man with drive. What could have happened between them would haunt her for the rest of her life. If only she had somehow locked that shit down. She had to get him. She just had to so the pain of her broken nose would be worth it in the end because it gave her another chance to make Tony hers.

For years now, she had been trying to find a reason to get Tony to say yes to spending some time with her alone. He had always turned her down. But after Pepper's fist connected with her nose and James Rhodes said that he would try and work something out with Tony, she knew this was her chance. This was her chance to finally get some one on one time with him. Her plan was simple, to get Tony into bed with her and make sure she had evidence of their encounter. She could only imagine the look of absolute horror that would cross Pepper's face when she found out Tony betrayed her. There was no way she would stay with him after he did something like that. That wasn't who Pepper was. Pepper would surely leave him. She would have to or the scandal that would follow would drag her down and possibly the company. Tony would be all hers.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing filled the air, and she openly sighed. Time to get back to reality and get some work done. She did have a job to do after all.

"Is this Ms. Christine Everhart?" A man blurted out before she had even put the phone up to her ear.

"Speaking. How can I help you?" Christine started tapping the pen she was holding against her lips impatiently, waiting for the caller to give her some sort of relevant information. The caller did sound familiar. She knew she had heard that voice somewhere before but just couldn't place it.

"I think we can help each other, Ms. Everhart. I know what you want, and I can help you get it."

The pen fell from her fingers, clattering to the desk,where it rolled across the smooth surface before dropping to the floor. The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. Her mouth suddenly went dry. It was hard for her to swallow, let alone speak but she forced out the words, "Who is this?"

The man chuckled dryly. "We've met before but it has been awhile. I'll give you that. I've been...preoccupied until now."

Christine leaned forward in her chair, trying desperately to place that oh-so-familiar voice but failing miserably. Part of her wanted to hang up the phone and run away. She was starting to get really freaked out, but the reporter part of her just couldn't do it. What if she hung up and missed out on the story of her life? She had to find out why this man had called her. "What do you want?"

"The question is what do we want, honey."

A chill ran down her spine. This anonymous caller was officially giving her the creeps. He was calling her pet names? She was done. She was so done."You have no idea what I want. Goodbye."

"Christine, wait!"

Against her better judgment, she did wait. The desperation in his tone made her clutch the phone closer to her ear instead of slamming it down. "Yes?"

"Look. Would you be willing to meet me to talk? I really don't want to do this over the phone."

"Listen, I'm really busy so if you could just..."

"It's about Anthony Stark."

Christine tried to speak several times but found she couldn't. The realization of who she was currently talking to hit her like a ton of bricks. Holy fucking shit.

Now the caller chuckled with humor. She was betting he could hear the gasp that left her lips. "Now you are interested, am I right? What do you say about meeting me for dinner tonight? Say I pick you up from your office at 6. Does that work?"

The uneasy feeling Christine had been experiencing was quickly being replaced by something else completely. She couldn't stop her mouth from curving up into a smile. "Sounds perfect."


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Happy had gotten things sorted out with the driver he had run into in the drive-thru and they finally pulled into the garage at back the compound, Tony and Pepper were both fully clothed again. Even with that being the case, Pepper didn't know if she would be able to get out of the car. Her legs still felt like jelly from their makeup sex session. She was almost positive her face was as red as her hair. In fact, Tony had made her feel so damn good that she didn't object when immediately after he had dug into his food while she was still panting and trying to recover. After giving her not one but two orgasms within five minutes, he definitely deserved a reward.

After Happy gave Tony back his crutches and helped him up to the suite, he left the couple alone. Clearly exhausted, Tony collapsed onto the couch, unwrapping what Pepper thought was at least his third or fourth burger. Happy had gotten him extra because that's just the type of person he was. He was all about keeping Tony Stark happy. Part of her was amazed at how much food Tony could put away in one sitting and keep in the amazing shape he was in but the other part of her knew that it was because he forgot to eat the other part of the time. It wasn't unheard of for him not to eat for at least a day before Pepper forced food down his throat by threatening to not sleep with him unless he took the time to eat. Her argument was he needed his energy in order to please her. He never argued with that assessment.

Pepper watched Tony in silence as he downed his burger. She hadn't had the time to process the information they had been given back at the hospital. She was pregnant with not one but two babies. Her hand rested on her stomach as all of the things they needed to do before the babies arrived raced through her mind. Now on top of the upcoming wedding (and oh my God there is no way she was going to be able to fit into her wedding dress in two months), she had to try and figure out how in the hell to raise two babies, continue to be the CEO of Stark Industries and keep Tony Stark in line. Oh my God. She couldn't do that. Nobody could. It was too much. It was all too much even for the infamous Pepper Potts. She was going to fail and fail miserably. "Tony, what are we going to do?"

Tony finished eating his burger, crumpling up the wrapper to shoot it across the room. "Score!"

"Tony!"

The tone of her voice drew his full attention to her. Even Pepper herself was shocked at how terrified she sounded. Tony opened his arms, beckoning her to come to him with his body. "Come here."

Pepper accepted his invitation, carefully crawling into his lap, sighing when his arms folded around her. She snuggled into his warmth, the closeness of him making her feel much better about everything. It was funny how this man could frustrate her to no end, drive her absolutely freaking crazy but in the end be her grounding force. "I'm not ready to be a mother," she admitted. "I'm scared, Tony." Tony's arms tightened around her with her admission but this was not something even Iron Man could protect her from.

"I'm scared too, Pep, but we will be fine. You'll be a great mother," Tony assured her. "You are like a mother to me." Pepper pulled back and gave him one of her famous "are you serious" looks. Tony immediately realized his mistake and backpedaled. "Okay, that's not what I meant. I just meant you are motherly. You are caring. You are kind. You keep me in line. There is no one else on earth that I would want to be the mother of my children. You are it, Pep."

His words made her feel a lot better. She was still scared but knew that she wasn't alone. They would do this together. "You are it for me too, Tony. There is no one else I would want as the father of my babies."

"Even when I piss you off?"

Pepper smiled at him, pushing the hair from his forehead. "Even when you piss me off. Are we going to raise them here at the Avenger's Compound?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Don't you think they should have an actual home to grow up in?"

Instead of answering, Tony broke eye contact with her to stare out the window. His shoulders sagged. "This is home. At least to me. Don't you consider this your home?"

Even though he was clearly trying to hide it from her, she could hear the hurt in his voice, and when he finally met her gaze again seeking her answer, his eyes confirmed it. Those big brown orbs were incapable of reflecting anything but the truth. She didn't mean to hurt him. It seemed to be the only thing she was good at doing lately. She cupped his cheek and he leaned into her touch. "Tony, wherever you are is home to me. It's just...Malibu will always hold a special place in my heart. We've been in New York awhile now but I miss the mansion. I really do."

Tony pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Me too, Pep. Oh yeah. I forgot." He shifted in his seat a bit to dig into his pocket before Pepper felt something close around her wrist. It was the bracelet he made for her. The bracelet that had saved his life and her own. She was never taking it off again.

"Thank you for my present. Originally, I wanted to throttle you when I found out what it really was but after what happened..." Her throat closed up as the image of Tony's lifeless body on the ground flashed before her eyes. Gentle hands rubbing her back pulled her out of it.

"I'm okay, Pep. It's okay."

Pepper clung to him for dear life, rubbing her cheek against his, savoring the feel of his facial hair tickling her. "It is okay and only because you don't listen to a damn word I say."

Tony chuckled, hugging her tighter. "God, I love you, Pepper Potts."

Pepper pulled away from him, running the fingers of her other hand over the bracelet. "I was wondering why you don't have one of these for yourself?"

"I'm working on it. I wanted yours to be ready first. On top of that, I'm currently developing a new AI just for you. I've been a little busy."

That, Pepper did not know. Pepper's brows pulled together. "Tony, you don't have to do that."

Tony shrugged. "I know but I also know you don't like Friday."

Pepper's mouth dropped open. Was it that obvious? "I don't not like Friday." Okay, that was a lie. Just something about Tony's female AI had always rubbed her the wrong way.

Tony raised his brows. "Is that so, Boss Lady?"

Pepper smacked Tony playfully on the shoulder. "Ow. Hey! But as it turns out, I ran into a bit of a snag so it looks like we will have to share Friday for awhile."

"It's okay, really. I don't mind sharing."

"Oh really?" Tony's tone was suggestive. His eyes twinkled mischievously. "I thought you didn't like to share."

His words immediately made Pepper feel extremely possessive. She did not consider herself a jealous partner but it was hard not to be when Tony had been the most eligible bachelor in the world until she took him off the market and that didn't mean that women stopped flocking to him when he was out in public. Or flirting with him. He had to fend of wanting women on a daily basis. She pressed him back into the couch, a little harder than necessary, watching as Tony's eyes darkened with lust. "There is one thing I will never share with anyone. You, Tony Stark." She nipped his earlobe, drawing a moan from his lips. "You are mine. You belong to me."

Letting out a growl, Tony maneuvered her so he was lying on top of her. "I was wrong before. Green does look good on you, Potts. Are you going to claim me then?"

They didn't make it to bed.

The next two weeks went by in a blur. Pepper issued a statement to the media about what happened at the engagement party and about her stint as an armored hero and made sure everyone knew that no, she was not Iron Man's sidekick. Tony was moving around much better now and no longer needed crutches to get around. He did have a slight limp but it was barely noticeable. His face was almost completely healed which Pepper was thankful for because during that time he had let his grooming go and he had started to look like Grizzly Adams. Pepper no longer had headaches from her injury. Her concussion healed without any problems.

She and Tony had gotten to see the babies again at her follow up appointment, but it would be another few weeks before they could find out the sex of the babies. Tony was amped up as usual, talking about all of the things he was going to build for their children. She had to stop him now before things got completely out of hand and he tried to build them their own suits.

By the time Pepper sat down at the table to eat dinner the night before she had to fly back to California, she was beyond tired. Luckily, Tony had ordered takeout from their favorite Italian place because she did not have the energy to even cook a frozen pizza. "There is an important meeting back at SI in Malibu I have to attend tomorrow afternoon." A happy moan escaped her lips as she removed her heels and massaged her aching arches. She was going to have to give up her favorite shoes sooner rather than later. Pregnancy and killer heels did not go well together. She didn't really know how much longer her usually slim feet would fit into her shoes anyway. They were already starting to swell a bit. "I'm really not looking forward to it. I'll have to leave early tomorrow morning..."

"I'll go," a voice that sounded strangely like Tony's said.

"What?" Pepper stopped massaging her foot, letting it drop to the floor as she stared in shock across the table at Tony who hadn't looked up from his food. She wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. Tony Stark was actually volunteering to go to a meeting? That never happened. Never. In all of the history they shared together, there wasn't a single time she could recall him actually volunteering to attend a meeting. She always had to bribe him or drag him there, kicking and screaming. What was going on? Was something wrong with him? Maybe she should take him back to the hospital to see if there was damage to his brain.

"I said I'll go." He still wasn't looking at her, focused on twirling the spaghetti onto his fork.

So, she hadn't imagined it. He really had volunteered to go. "Tony, that's really not necessary."

His eyes finally met hers. "We are expecting twins. We haven't starting getting anything for them yet. Just stay here, kick your feet up and relax. Maybe do a little shopping. You've been running yourself ragged lately. I don't want you to overexert yourself. It's not good for you and it's not good for the babies."

Well, he wasn't wrong but it was still her responsibility. "They are expecting me, Tony. Not you."

"Hey, I may not be CEO anymore but the company is still mine. I demand you take a leave..." He grabbed a piece of garlic bread and took a bite.

"A leave?"

"To start figuring things out..."

Pepper sighed heavily. "Tony..."

"Not a long leave, Pep. But come on. You of all people deserve a break. Just let me go to this meeting for you, okay?" He set his fork down. "Please, let me do this one little thing for you?"

Oh God. He had resorted to giving her puppy dog eyes complete with a pouty lip. There was no resisting him now. She had lost. "Fine. I'll let you do this one thing but only because you begged. Just remember when you are stuck in a four hour long meeting tomorrow bored out of your mind that is was your idea, not mine. And I swear to God, if you are late to the meeting or don't show up for some reason, I will make a special trip just to fly to Malibu to strangle you."

Tony wagged his eyebrows, grinning from ear to ear. "Pep, that's kinda kinky."

Pepper frowned. "Anthony Stark, I'm serious. Promise me you'll actually go to the meeting."

"I'll go. I promise. I will even be there fifteen minutes early."

Pepper crossed her arms over her chest and raised her brows, silently calling out his bluff. He was never early to anything.

Tony put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, you got me. I won't be early but I will at least be there on time. Cross my heart, hope to die."

Satisfied with his answer, she finally leaned across the table to help herself to some food. "Don't die. Just be there."

Pepper's plan was to lie in wait in bed for Tony to finish up his tinkering and then jump his bones to reward him for volunteering to fly across the country to go a meeting she really did not have any desire to attend but everything that had happened in the last few days must have finally caught up with her. Next thing she knew, she was waking up to Friday announcing the time and weather. It was 6 am. 6 am! Shit. Her eyes flew open as she sat up straight, noticing Tony's place in bed next to her was empty and cold. He was long gone. His flight was supposed to leave soon.

"Friday, where is Tony?"

"Boss is currently on board the jet awaiting takeoff."

That was actually surprising. Usually she had to poke and prod and drag his ass out of bed but he was already on board the jet without her help and early of all things. Normally she would have been pleasantly surprised by his good behavior but not today. Had he even gone to bed last night? She wouldn't have put it past him to have worked through the entire night, not realizing what time it was. And now he was going to be gone for a few days without even having said goodbye to her. "Crap!" Pepper jumped from the bed, scurrying over to the dresser to throw on some clothes. At least she didn't have to go far to get to the jet. It was right outside. There was no time to pretty herself up if she wanted to catch Tony before he left. She threw on a t-shirt and some yoga pants, not really caring if she matched or not. She ran shaky hands through her hair before quickly twisting it back and clipping it up out of her eyes as much as she could because it was being completely unmanageable. There wasn't time to brush her teeth but she did pop several breath mints as she booked it out of their suite and down the stairs toward the runway.

It wasn't until she was already outside that she realized she had forgotten shoes. Well, she wasn't going back for them now. There wasn't time. It didn't take her very long to locate the jet. Although she was getting very strange looks from all of the members of staff she came across. Not that she could blame them. They usually only saw her when she was completely put together. They weren't used to seeing the CEO of Stark Industries sprinting across the compound grounds barefoot in casual clothing with her hair looking like the mane of a lion. When she finally stopped next to the jet, she was huffing and puffing like she was seventy years old. God. She really needed to start doing cardio again. Yoga alone wasn't cutting it. This was pathetic.

"Ms. Potts..." One of the four security guards standing in front of the stairs leading to the jet approached her. He was dark skinned, tall and bald wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. His muscular arms were crossed firmly across his chest. She didn't recognize him but that didn't surprise her. Happy was the one in charge of screening and hiring new members of his security team. Pepper thought he did a good job with this one. He looked like a monster.

She held up a finger, signaling him to give her a minute. She just needed a minute to recover. If she tried to do anything this second, she would pass out.

"I was told that only Mr. Stark would be on this flight." His voice was deep and intimidating.

"He is." Pepper sucked in a deep breath and then another one before she could get more than two words out without struggling to breathe. "I just needed to tell him something. I won't be long."

The guard nodded once and stepped out of the way allowing her access to the stairs.

Once she entered the cabin, she first found the pilot and let him know she was onboard and to not takeoff while she was there. Then she focused on locating Tony. Pepper's plan was to merely give Tony the goodbye kiss she hadn't gotten to give him earlier but when the pilot announced that it would be fifteen minutes until takeoff and she finally saw Tony appear near the back of the plane looking completely dashing, freshly groomed and wearing his new Armani suit with the hot rod red tie she had bought him for his last birthday, her libido went into overdrive. She had to have him. Now.

From the shock on his face, he clearly wasn't expecting to see her there. He watched her curiously from the doorway to his personal room as Pepper slowly approached him. He didn't seem worried until he could see how out of breath she was. She had to look like a mess of the woman she normally was. "Pepper, are you okay? You look flushed. Did something happen? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is you didn't say goodbye to me, Mr. Stark. I woke up this morning and you were already gone."

Tony blinked down at her in surprise. Now that she was barefoot and he was wearing dress shoes, he was actually a bit taller than her for once. "But I did say goodbye. I even gave you a kiss. You were just asleep. You looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you. You are growing new life inside you, Pep. You need your rest. It would have been selfish of me just to interrupt your sleep to say goodbye to make myself feel better about leaving you."

Pepper melted at the sincerity of his words. She knew he wasn't just saying them to make her feel better. He actually meant them. Yes, Tony could be egotistical but he also could be the most considerate man in the history of the universe. It was one of the many reasons she loved him so much.

Pepper took a step closer to him, not touching him yet but coming intimately close. She may not have been physically touching him but she was devouring him slowly with her eyes. At the moment, he was immaculate. He was perfection personified. "Well then, Mr. Stark, would it be selfish of me to demand your full attention right now?"

His eyes darkened with lust. She watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed. His eyes were moving over her now. Yes. She was getting to him. Even though she had just rolled out of bed, the fact that she could get Tony Stark all hot and bothered by just looking at him made her feel powerful. "What do you have in mind, Miss, Potts?"

"We've got a whole fifteen minutes." Pepper grasped the lapels of Tony's jacket, finally closing the distance between them as she pulled him flush against her. Her eyes bored into his as she slipped a leg between his. She pressed her nose into the crook of his neck. He smelled good. Really good. "Any ideas on how we could pass the time?" He didn't have to answer with words. The response to the question she posed was pretty damn obvious in the reaction of his body. Yep. He had the same idea as her.

Tony tried to act composed as he raised a single brow but she knew from personal experience he was seconds away from losing control. "Why, Miss Potts, are you preposition me?"

Pepper had a hold of his tie now, pulling him down to her height to press her mouth against his ear, drawing a shudder out of him. "Well, you know. Pregnancy does all kinds of crazy things to a woman's hormones. It also doesn't help that you look absolutely delicious in that suit, Mr. Stark...but you would look even better without it."

That's all it took. They were both naked and she was spread out on Tony's bed before she could figure out how it had happened. He was on top of her, pressing her down into the mattress as he kissed his way down her neck. Her hands were in their usual place, locked in his hair, holding him close to her. Looks like he was going to have to pretty himself up again after she got through with him. She laughed before sinking her teeth into his shoulder, marking him as hers as he groaned her name loudly into her skin.

As she ran her hands down his sides to finally cup his perfect ass giving it a firm squeeze, she really really wished they had longer than fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes was not enough time to do all the things she wanted to to with him.

When it was time for her to go, it was hard. Really hard. He made it almost impossible to want to leave him when he stared up at her through his thick lashes, his dark hair a mess from her hands, his lips swollen from her kisses. She had to leave now or they would both be going to Malibu. It took all the will power she had to drag herself out of Tony's welcoming arms and out of his bed to get dressed. She made him promise to text her when he landed, pressed one last kiss to his lips, avoiding his arms as he tried to slip them around her and pull her back into the bed and hurried out his room. As she descended the steps leading down from the jet, she received knowing glances from the members of the security team. Okay, yeah, she likely had the "just been thoroughly fucked" look going on but she really did not care.

"Get what you came for, Ms. Potts?" The man that spoke to her earlier asked.

She smiled. "Indeed I did."

After showering and getting ready for the day, Pepper decided to take Tony's advice and do a little shopping. He was right. They did have absolutely nothing for the babies and they had to start somewhere. She had an early lunch meeting and after it was over she would hit the mall. That way she could do a little work today as well. It was the perfect plan.

The woman she was meeting with was friendly but professional. They shook hands before sitting down to eat. They mostly discussed business with a little small talk throw in here and there for good measure. Ten minutes into the meeting, Pepper quickly realized she should not have drank as much water as she did and excused herself to use the bathroom. These babies were already doing a number on her bladder and it was only going to get worse before it got better. Eventually she would be working from the bathroom with a laptop.

On her way out of the restroom as she walked back toward her table, her eyes happened to flick across the line of televisions mounted on the wall behind the bar. She stopped in her tracks. A chill ran down her spine as she turned around, praying she was wrong. She stared at the images before her unblinking as she slowly approached the monitors. There was breaking news. It had interrupted the current programming. Her hands gripped the bar in front of her as she held on to keep her knees from giving out. The cameras zoomed in on what was the burning wreckage of a plane and on the bottom of the screen in bold letters were the words that changed everything.

Stark Industries Plane Crash. Tony Stark Presumed Dead.


	9. Chapter 9

After reading those damning words, her heart stopped. Her entire world stopped. This could not be happening. There was no way that this was really happening. Her hand was trembling as she pulled the phone from her pocket. For some reason, it was no longer on silent but was completely off. No wonder nobody had tried to call her lately. Once it was back on, she realized she had twenty-five missed calls. Most of them from Rhodes and Happy. It began to ring but it didn't register with her. Nothing did, not even the man who noticed the way she was swaying on her feet next to him and was trying to get her attention.

"Miss? Miss are you okay?"

The world went out of focus. Tony. Her Tony was dead. She honestly didn't remember leaving the restaurant. Outside it had once again begin to pour. The sound of thunder rolling overheard was barely audible over the sound of her own pulse pounding wildly in her ears. Most people who found themselves stuck out in the rain were currently running for cover from the storm but not her as she slowly shuffled her way down the quickly emptying sidewalk. The people who had been prepared for the weather and were protected by rain gear or umbrellas stared at her, clearly questioning the state of mind she was in to be causally strolling along during a thunderstorm. Her hair was stuck to her face. Her suit completely drenched through but none of that mattered. Nothing mattered. Her phone was vibrating in her pocket. She didn't know how long it had been ringing. Could have been once. Could have been a hundred times. As if on autopilot, she pulled it out and put it to her ear without realizing she had even answered the call.

"Pepper?! Pepper, where the hell are you?!"

Pepper was almost sure she had never heard James Rhodes sound this upset before. Even when he had called to tell her that Tony had been taken by terrorists after the weapons demonstration in Afghanistan, there had been a sliver of hope in his voice because he truly believed Tony was still alive. Now it was gone. There was no hope. There was no anything. Tony was gone. He wasn't coming back from this. She was alone. All alone.

"Pepper, will you say something? Goddammit, Pepper. Please. Where are you?"

Numb. She was numb. She knew it was cold outside and the rain only added to that fact but she couldn't feel a damn thing. She didn't want to feel a damn thing because if she did...if she did she wouldn't be able to do anything. She wouldn't be able to walk. She wouldn't be able to talk. She wouldn't be able to breathe. Her feet were still moving beneath her but she didn't know where she was going. It didn't matter where she was going but she had to keep moving for some reason. She had to move.

"Fuck. Pepper, come on. Tell me where you are so I can come get you. Happy is worried out of his mind about you."

It should have been her. She should have been the one on that plane. Not Tony. Why did she let him take her place? This was all her fault. Her life should have been the one that ended in a fireball, not his. It wasn't his time to go. He should still be here.

"Pepper..." Without uttering a single word, she ended the call, slipping the phone back into her pocket. It immediately began to vibrate but she ignored it.

How long she walked or where she finally ended up, she hadn't the slightest idea. At one point, Friday tried to talk to her. Tried to tell her something she claimed was important...but nothing was important anymore so Pepper immediately muted her. Finally after stumbling and almost falling down several times because her legs were starting to give out, she was forced to sit down on a nearby bench. She sat there staring out into the rain not really seeing anything until a familiar voice spoke to her.

"Pepper?" Rhodes knelt down in front of her but she refused to look at him even when he reached out and touched her knee. Her eyes stared through him. "Pepper, please. We have to get you out of the rain. You've been gone for hours. Please come with me. Everyone is out looking for you. You just disappeared. Why didn't you answer the goddamn phone?"

"How did you find me?" Those were the first words she said after finding out the love of her life was gone. That she was going to have to learn to live in a world without Tony Stark. Was there a world without Tony Stark? That's when she realized Rhodes had pulled her up off the bench, supporting most of her weight as he guide her to his waiting car.

"Friday told me where you were."

"You traitor," Pepper whispered under her breath as Rhodes pushed her down into the passenger side seat. The second the door closed she realized how fucking cold she really was and that her teeth were chattering together. At least he had the heat on. She rubbed absentmindedly at her arms, trying to rub the goosebumps away.

"I am sorry." Even though Friday said the words, she didn't sound sorry. "But I have been programmed by Mr. Stark to keep you safe even if it goes against your direct orders. Your body temperature is quickly approaching unacceptable levels. You will be hypothermic in a matter of minutes."

She jolted at her words. Mr. Stark. Tony. Her Tony. Her Tony was dead. A sob finally tore out of her throat. It was the first sign of emotion she had let escape her lips since finding out about the crash. She shoved a hand into her mouth to stifle the sound and bit down hard enough to draw blood. The burning behind her eyes was a warning that the tears were coming and coming fast but she couldn't cry. She couldn't because if she started crying now she wouldn't be able to stop.

Rhodes slid into the driver's side and cranked up the heat to the highest setting before pulling away from the curb. "I will get you back home so you can get into something that isn't completely drenched. Sound good?"

Pepper could see him glance over at her from the corner of her eye. His hands were clutching the steering wheel too tightly. His entire body was wound too tightly. He let out a shuddering sigh and Pepper knew she was not going to like what he said next. "Pepper, you have to deal with this."

"Don't," Pepper snapped, holding up a hand to signal him to stop as she blinked back her tears. "Don't you dare."

He sighed again, his hands tightening on the wheel. "You can't keep trying to pretend it didn't happen. It happened, Pepper."

Her throat was closing up. Pretty soon she would no longer be able to talk. "Rhodes, stop. Please. Stop. I don't want to talk about it."

"Shit, Pepper. You think I want to talk about it? We have to talk about it, okay? We have to. You have to deal with this. There is no other choice. You can't pretend it didn't happen."

A tear broke free and Pepper swiped it away. "Stop. Stop right now. Just stop talking."

Now that they were stopped at a red light, Rhodes slammed a hand against the steering wheel, turning in his seat to face her. "Tony is dead, Pepper. Okay? He's gone. He's never coming back and you need to accept it."

His words broke through the damn she had tried to build up to keep her feelings at bay. Everything slammed into her like a tsunami sweeping her away. Tony was gone. Never again would she see his radiant smile or hear his infectious laughter. Never again would he flash those big brown eyes in her direction to try to get her to do things for him. Their children would never know their father. Tony hadn't just left her. He had left his children. As the violent sobs racked her body, her hand found the door handle and she was throwing it open, baling out of the car before Rhodes could figure out what she was doing.

He called her name after her but Pepper didn't turn back. She couldn't deal with it. She couldn't deal with the magnitude of Rhodes' emotions when she couldn't even deal with her own. It was all too much. The tears made it difficult for her to see where she was going so she just kept walking. Walking was better than thinking. She focused on the steps in front of her, just focus on putting one foot in front of the other. That's all she had to think about.

"Pepper?"

She was so sick of hearing that name. Tony called her "Pepper." Tony was gone. She was Virginia now. Only Virginia. She was going to suit up and blast the next person who called her Pepper into oblivion. To hell with the consequences.

"I mean, Ms Potts. Jesus...did you know half of the city is out looking for you?"

She forced her uncooperative eyes to focus. Christine Fucking Everhart was standing in front of her. Pepper tilted her head back to examine the building she was standing in front of. Well, that made sense. She was currently standing outside of Christine's workplace. How did she get here?

"Get in here," Christine said as she moved toward the entrance, motioning for Pepper to follow.

Pepper didn't have the strength to fight her and that's how she ended up sitting in Christine's personal office with a hot cup of coffee in her hand, wrapped up in a blanket.

"I called Mr. Hogan and he is currently on his way to pick you up," Christine said as she walked back into the room. "I'm so sorry to hear about Tony. I truly am."

Pepper forced her eyes up from the steaming cup of liquid. Christine didn't sound sorry. In fact, she didn't look sorry either. And that's when Christine Everhart shocked the hell out of her by walking over to her, leaning down and pulling her into a tight hug. Just when she thought absolutely nothing else could possibly happen today that would render her completely speechless. She was oh so very wrong.

Pepper was seconds away from shoving her back and punching her perfect nose in for the second time for invading her personal space when a familiar scent filled her sinuses, freezing her in place. Her eyes widened. Holy fucking shit. She smelled like Tony. Not even kind of like him...exactly like him. Now, while it was completely possible that Christine Everhart had recently been close to a man that just happened to wear the same combination of cologne and aftershave as Tony Stark...how realistic was that really? If Tony were here, he could probably give her the exact probability down to a decimal point. But when the hell would she have seen Tony? I mean, Pepper had given him a proper send off on the plane. She was standing there on the runway when the wheels went up. There was absolutely no way Christine had contact with him in the past couple hours unless...she sucked in a deep breath. Unless he didn't die in the crash. Unless Tony was alive and she knew where he was.


	10. Chapter 10

Regaining consciousness was not fun for him by any means. As soon as he began to feel the sensations of the outside world returning to him, he wished he was back under. It was too much for him to take. His head was pounding. His tongue felt thick. There was a strange metallic taste in his mouth that clearly didn't belong. His stomach was rolling, threatening to empty itself of its contents. He felt wrong. Utterly and completely wrong. He forced his unnaturally heavy lids open, blinking his eyes but they didn't want to adjust to the bright light being shone in them. He tried to move his arms but quickly realized they were strapped to the arms of a chair. Next he tried his legs and came to the same conclusion. He was fully restrained. He wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Sweat ran down his forehead into his eyes but he was unable to wipe it away. Fuck. He really wished he was not wearing a suit right now. He was going to pass out from heatstroke. Suddenly feeling exhausted after barely moving, he let his head fall forward, chin resting on his chest. There was something seriously wrong with him. What was wrong with him and where was he?

"Well, look at that. Sleeping beauty is finally awake."

He thought he was alone in the room so when he heard someone speak, it immediately got his attention. His head snapped back up to try and locate the man who spoke. That voice. He had heard it before. He knows he has. He blinked again, squinting hard at the figure in front of him. The person standing there refused to come into focus, appearing only as a blur of color.

"Don't worry. You are a little disoriented right now but it's only the drugs. We had to drug you up pretty good to make sure you didn't wake up while we moved you. You will feel better in a few hours. You know, this wasn't part of my original plan but I'm all about compromising. It will work out better for me anyway."

"Who are you? What do you want?" He asked his captor, his voice sounding gravelly and wrong to his own ears.

"Oh, come on. You can figure this out, Anthony. You are a genius, right?"

And when the man moved the light to the side and knelt down directly in front of him, he finally came into focus. His eyes widened in shock at the realization of who he had been talking to. It was a person he never thought he would see walking free again.

"Justin Hammer."

"Anthony Stark." Hammer beamed at him, rising back up to his full height, and Tony wanted nothing more than to punch in his teeth and see who was left smiling then. God, did he hate this asshole with the fire of a thousands suns. "Did you miss me?"

"I thought you were in prison," was all he could think to say.

"Oh, I was. Trust me. I was. For a long ass time thanks to you and your...girl." He was obviously about to call Pepper a derogatory name but stopped himself at the last moment. He shrugged lazily taking off his glasses to clean them on his shirt. "But...I did my time, and I'm out now."

"You won't be for long. Kidnapping is a crime or didn't you know that?"

"Oh, no. No. No. No. I'm not going back. I'm never going back." Hammer leaned in close, looming over Tony, trying to come off as intimidating but failing miserably. Hammer could be many things but intimidating was not one of them. "You are never going to see the light of day again, Anthony. You are going to live the rest of your days in this room and nobody will ever find you. Now you can know what it is like to be forgotten."

Tony scoffed loudly. He couldn't help himself. Hammer was delusional if he actually thought people would forget about him. "People will be out looking for me. They likely already are. Tony Stark disappearing is worldwide news."

And then Hammer did something surprising by smiling at him. He didn't get mad. He smiled. He actually smiled. "That's where you are wrong. You just died in a plane crash. It's all over the news. Haven't you heard?"

"What?" It was hard for Tony to form words. Justin was bluffing. He had to be bluffing. "What are you talking about?"

"Your company plane went down with you in it. Tragic accident really. Nobody will look for you. You are a dead man, Anthony Stark."

The world around him tilted and whirled and it wasn't because of the drugs. Tony grabbed onto the arms of the chair as he held on for dear life, his nails digging into the metal until it hurt. Justin Hammer had somehow kidnapped him and caused his plane to crash. That's where he had been earlier. He had gotten on the jet to head to Malibu. He was pretty sure he had been on the plane when it took off. No. He was sure he was. But he never remembered landing. It made sense now. He never did land in Malibu. The jet had gone down without him in it. The whole world now thought he was dead.

And then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Pepper. Pepper thought he was dead. Oh, God no. Not Pepper. They had just found out they were going to be parents, and now she had to be thinking she was going to have to do it without him...that he had left her. Pepper had told him about how she had felt after Killian had destroyed the mansion, and she had thought he was dead for hours before finally receiving the message assuring her that he was alright. She told him how she had wandered around the remains of their mansion for hours, searching for any clue that he was still alive. How she had found one of his helmets and clutched onto it for dear life, thinking it was the only thing left of him, as if holding on to it would somehow keep him with her. How she hadn't allowed herself to feel much of anything because of the huge implications of it all. He was her world, she had told him. He had been for as long as she could remember and trying to imagine herself living without him was impossible.

His throat tightened. Fuck. How long had he been out of it? How long ago was the plane crash? Had it been hours? Days? He could still feel Pepper's soft lips brushing over his skin as she whispered over and over how much she loved him before telling him she had to go. That he had to get to Malibu.

He couldn't allow himself to think about what she was currently going through or he would break down right then and there. He didn't want to give Hammer the satisfaction of seeing him cry so he channeled his sadness into anger instead, focusing all of his strength on not turning into a sobbing mess in front of the man he hated most in the world. He could break down later. Now he had to be strong. "Why didn't you just kill me then? Why go through this whole charade at all?"

"Well, I could have and while I do have the urge to put my hands around your neck and squeeze the life out of you, my partner wanted to keep you around. Plus, if you do what I demand then I won't drag Pepper into this, and believe me, I will drag her into it. I will drag her in by her pretty red hair."

The image of Hammer doing exactly that made Tony see red. "Don't. You. Dare. Threaten. Pepper." He took the time to enunciate each word, making sure the smarmy bastard knew he meant what he was saying. It didn't matter that he was the one being held against his will. If anything happened to Pepper, he would make sure he suffered.

Turning away from him, Hammer didn't seem the slightest bit intimidated by his threat. It was being made by a man secured to a chair after all. "She is safe as long as you comply. I promise."

"Your promises mean jack shit to me." Tony snarled.

Hammer shrugged, not even bothering to glance in Tony's direction. That asshole was so damn cocky. He was fucking lucky he was fully restrained. "Fair enough."

"What the hell do you want?" Now Tony was agitated. That jerk off was being so nonchalant about kidnapping him. Who the hell did he think he was? He pulled against the heavy straps on his arms and legs, knowing full well that he was just wasting his energy but couldn't take the time to care. He would have burns and bruises from all of the harsh movements he was making but Hammer was so good at pissing him off that he just didn't give a damn.

"That's a long complicated answer but we can take our time going over everything. I want to savor the fact that the world thinks you are dead for awhile before we do anything else. I have all the time in the world. I'm in no rush."

Of course he wasn't going to tell him what he wanted. He was going to make him wait for answers. Of all of the people in the world who could have kidnapped him, why did it have to be Justin Hammer? While Hammer wasn't going to offer up information on what he wanted to know, he was still going to try to get something useful out of him. He stopped struggling, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm himself before he spoke. "You said you had a partner. Who is it?"

Hammer finally met his eyes. "You know what? I could drag this out but what the hell? I'm in a good mood so let's move this thing right along...shall we? You can meet them right now. I will leave you two alone to get reacquainted. I have something I need to do anyway. I'm going to issue a statement about how terrible a tragedy it is that the world lost a prodigy like the great Anthony Stark."

Tony watched Hammer until he disappeared behind him, keeping the snarky comment he wanted to throw back at the man to himself. He heard a door open and then close. Wait. Had he said reacquainted as in he already knew the person? Who in the hell did Tony know that would help Hammer hold him hostage? Just as he was trying to figure it out by himself, Hammer's accomplice came around his shoulder and his question was answered.

Tony was sure his mouth was hanging open in shock as he stared wide eyed at the blond haired woman. "Everhart." He was pretty sure his voice was an octave higher than normal. Whoever he had been expecting to come into the room, she definitely had not been on the list.

"Tony, please call me Christine. We are on a first name basis here."

Tony finally composed himself enough to form sentences instead of single words. "Why are you working with Hammer? What do you want?"

The expression on Christine's face told him the answer before she even spoke. He knew that look well enough having been surrounded by hordes of women giving him those same eyes almost every day of his life. He swallowed. Oh shit. He was in so much more trouble than he could have possibly imagined. Christine walked her fingers up his arm and his stomach lurched violently when she leaned in to press her lips against his ear. "You."

Tony swallowed what he was going to say next because honestly, what the hell could a person say to that? He figured it would be about money. It was usually always about money. Money would be easy. He had money. Money meant nothing to him but this, this was anything but easy. He didn't want Christine. The only woman he wanted was Pepper. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with this woman but he was secured to a chair. There wasn't anything he could do. He couldn't escape. Hell, he couldn't even move. He was at her mercy. She could do whatever she wanted to him and he wouldn't be unable to stop it. Now his reaction to seeing her was panic. Yep. Most definitely panic. He would rather be tortured by Hammer than forced to endure whatever she had planned for him. Hell, the torture he went through in Afghanistan would be a walk in the park compared to what this crazy woman likely had planned.

When she climbed onto him to straddle his lap, he turned his face away toward the wall. She was wearing a low cut tight red shirt that left absolutely nothing to the imagination. He knew for a fact she wasn't wearing a bra, and her short skirt rode up high, exposing her thighs as she settled herself onto his legs. He would bet money that she wasn't wearing any panties. Shit. Shit. Shit. His mind was screaming at him to get away. He was in fight or flight mode and he didn't have the option of doing either of those things. It was making him want to crawl out of his own skin in an effort to get away from the determined woman on top of him.

Suddenly a hand grasp his chin firmly and forced his gaze from the wall. Christine's eyes were gleaming in the light in an almost frightening way. That look did not belong on a human being but a predator. Those were not the eyes of a sane person. He didn't know what happened to her over the years but something in her had shifted, and he knew for a fact if she had that same look in her eyes years ago, he never would have slept with her. She was dangerous. Her nose was mostly healed but there was a tiny bit of swelling near her eyes from where Pepper's fist had broken it. Oh God. Pepper. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to wish Christine away.

A perfectly manicured red nail traced the outline of his jaw as he tried his hardest to move away from her forced touch. She wasn't even touching any of his intimate parts yet and still he felt violated. "Come on. You know you want me, Tony. You are mine to do with whatever I please and please me you will."

He opened his eyes and glared at her defiantly. If she honestly thought he was going to touch her willingly and actually enjoy it, she was crazier than he originally thought. There wasn't enough alcohol in the world. "Over my dead body."

Instead of getting upset about the challenge in his voice, it only seemed to make her more determined and outgoing in her actions as she scooted forward on his lap. "No, honey," she purred as she ran her hands up his chest to stop at the back of his neck, leaning in to rub her cheek against his, shuddering as she pressed her lips to his ear. "Over Pepper's dead body."

Pepper. Every muscle in his body tensed as her hands slid to thread into his hair and she tipped his head back, exposing his neck to her. He shivered and not from desire but fear as she ran her nose along the column of his throat. He didn't know how far she would actually go when it came to carrying out a threat but she had gotten herself involved with Justin Hammer after all, and he of all people wanted to personally bring about his destruction. He couldn't let anything happen to Pepper.

"If you aren't a good boy, if you threaten me like you did with Justin, I will not tolerate it like he did. I will take it out on Pepper and you don't want that...do you?"

He wanted to get mad. He wanted to scream at her but what would be the point? She had access to Pepper. He didn't. The drugs in his system were making him feel weak. He was disoriented and had no fucking idea where he was. He was strapped into a metal chair in a room that came across as more of a dungeon than anything else. He needed time to think about how in the hell he was going to get himself out of this situation. He needed to keep his temper under control and find a way to keep both Christine and Justin happy. It was the only way to keep Pepper safe. Tony pushed the anger down and gave a single shake of his head. It was all he could do to make sure he didn't say something he would later regret. Pepper, please forgive me. I'm so sorry.

It was apparently enough of an answer for Christine as she wrapped his tie, the tie Pepper had given him around her wrist and pulled him against her, burying her face in his hair. "Good boy."


	11. Chapter 11

Pepper needed some time to think about how she was going to approach this. Obviously Christine wanted her to believe Tony was dead so coming right out and demanding she tell her where he was wasn't going to work. Well, maybe it would if she suited up, put her hand around her throat and threatened to break her neck, she would cave but she didn't want to start there. If it came down to that, she would do it in a heartbeat but that was a last resort. She was going to try to play it cool for now. She had to act like she truly believed Tony was dead. If she didn't, if she acted strangely, Christine may pick up on it and then she may never find Tony. It was only with this revelation that Pepper forced her slack arm, the one not holding the cup of coffee, to embrace the woman who was somehow involved in her fiance's disappearance.

It was one of the most difficult things she had ever had to do in her life, right up there with having to overload the reactor back when Obadiah had lost his mind, thinking she would kill both him and Tony in the process. Her other hand shook, wanting to dump the hot beverage over the scheming bitch's head but she forced herself to set the cup down on the desk instead. If Christine was involved in Tony's disappearance, she sure as hell wasn't going to drink anything she gave her. That would be unbelievably naive.

Holy shit did she hope Happy hurried up and got there soon because honestly, she didn't know how much longer she could hold herself together. Finally and not a moment too soon, Christine released her from the awkward embrace and walked around the desk to seat herself across from Pepper. The strong scent of Tony was still lingering in Pepper's sinuses making it hard for her to concentrate on anything but him. The searing sensation of his soft lips taking possession of hers from earlier that morning made her squirm in her seat. God that man left an impression.

"If there is anything I can do, just let me know. If you need someone to talk to or whatever...I'm always available."

The image of her and Tony's earlier lovemaking session was tainted by Christine's shrill voice. Oh, I bet you are. "Thanks," Pepper forced herself to say instead of telling her to fuck off as she directed her gaze to her lap. How dare this woman hug her, look her in the eye and pretend she even remotely cares about her feelings when she is the one keeping Tony from her. Christine was going to pay for this and pay deeply. At the end of this, she was going to wish a punch in the face was the only thing she had ever received from Pepper Potts.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Not unless you take me to Tony right now, you evil bitch. "No." Pepper bit her tongue, forcing back the harsh words that were begging to be said. Growing curious as to how good of a liar Christine truly was, she raised her chin to meet the blond's eyes and found they were soft and almost caring. Her expression was open and inviting. Holy shit. This woman was good but then again she was a reporter so lying was likely second nature to her.

"Tony was a good man." Christine laced her fingers together in front of her and leaned forward on her desk. "I'm just so glad I got to know him...personally."

Just from the placement of the pause and the way the last word rolled off her tongue almost as a purr, Pepper knew Christine was referring to the one-night stand she had with Tony years back. Once again, Christine was goading her. Even though she thought Pepper truly believed Tony was dead, she was still trying to rub her face in it. This woman really was a piece of freaking work. Hold it together, Potts. Hold it together. Her fingers clutched the chair underneath her, nails scraping against the bottoms of the armrests in an effort to stop her from jamming them into Christine's eyes. If I find out you touched him, I will break more than just your nose...promise.

"Should you be drinking that?"

At the sound of Happy's voice coming from behind, Pepper turned in her seat, clearly confused at what he was asking her but also glad for his sudden appearance because at least his interjection had stopped her from launching herself across the desk to claw Christine's eyes out. "What?"

He pointed to the Styrofoam cup in front of her. "Coffee has caffeine. Too much caffeine isn't good to consume while pregnant. I read it online."

Pepper couldn't find anything to say in that moment. Nothing seemed adequate. Happy had just revealed her pregnancy, a pregnancy that she hadn't wanted to announce to anyone just yet to the woman she hated most in the world, to the woman who was keeping Tony from her. Even though she wanted to chastise Happy then and there for flapping his big mouth, Pepper forced herself to break eye contact with him to turn in her seat to face her enemy.

At the new information, Christine's concerned facade immediately crumbled, and Pepper saw what she was sure was jealousy flash in her eyes as she pushed her chair back and rose from her seat. "You are pregnant? Is Tony the father?"

In that very moment any doubt Pepper still may have had that Christine wasn't directly involved in Tony's kidnapping dissolved. She was sure of it now. Christine Everhart had faked Tony's death and had kidnapped him. She just needed to get physical proof.

"Who the hell else would be the father?" Happy shouted, drawing Pepper's attention back to him. "Honestly, do you even think before you speak?"

"Happy," Pepper snapped as she pushed herself out of the chair and rounded on him, grabbing his arm. The blanket she had been wrapped in fell to the floor. She had to get out of there before he revealed anything else that Christine shouldn't know. There would be absolutely no point in trying to deny the fact she was pregnant because she knew Christine believed it and nothing would convince her otherwise. "That's quite enough. We are leaving. Now."

From the expression on his face, Happy finally realized he had slipped up big time. "Pepper, I'm..."

Pepper jerked on his arm forcefully. "Stop talking and take me home. Now." As Happy lead her toward the door of Christine's personal office, she risked one more quick glance back at Christine, and wished she hadn't. Those eyes. Those eyes held a deadly promise aimed directly at her. It made her stomach drop and her feet move a little bit faster, and then it was Happy who was striding after her trying to keep up.

After she was wrapped in what she had determined was at least 12 different blankets, Happy tended to go a bit overboard, Pepper was finally in the back of the car and being driven away from Christine's office. She had forgotten how wet and cold she was until she was allowed to relax her guard now that she wasn't afraid of getting stabbed in the back. Her teeth began to chatter. Violent shivers racked her body almost to the point of pain as she pulled the blankets tighter around herself, seeking warmth although she wasn't sure if she was shaking because she was wet or because of what happened to Tony.

"You cold, Pepper? Need me to turn the heat on higher?"

"It's perfect, Happy. Thank you."

"You hungry? Need me to get you something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry."

The silence between them stretched on and on. The only sounds were those of the city outside. Normally silence was never awkward between them. They had been in each other's presence for years after all and silence never bothered her but now, now...everything felt wrong. She suspected things wouldn't be right ever again until Tony was back by her side. When she dared to raise her eyes and see Happy staring back at her in the mirror, she knew he was going to start in about Tony and right now she didn't want to be told how to feel.

"Pepper..."

"Take me back home. I'm not going to work."

"Jesus, Pepper. Nobody expects you to go to work." He paused before continuing on, "Do you want to talk?"

"Not really. No."

"Pepper, I think you need to..."

He was seriously going to try and tell her what she needed to do? Why did everyone else try and act like they knew her better than she knew herself? The anger and frustration that had been building within her all day finally came to a head and she couldn't stop herself from snapping. "You don't get to tell me what I need! I know what I need. I don't need to talk right now. I need to think. I need you to shut up and I need some privacy." As soon as the words had left her mouth, she hated herself. He didn't deserve to be the recipient of her wrath. He was only trying to be helpful. She could see the hurt in his eyes but then the window partition was fully up and she was left alone. What the hell is wrong with you? A whimper escaped her throat. Lashing out at the people she loved was not going to get her anywhere. Her eyes welled up but the tears refused to fall. She was seconds away from trying to apologize profusely to him when her phone began to vibrate. She debated ignoring the call to make things okay with Happy until she saw who it was. It was Rhodes. It was a call she wanted to take.

"Pepper, did Happy finally find you? Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm in the car now."

"Good."

May as well jump right in and say it... "I need your help."

"Anything Pepper. What do you need?"

"I need your help saving Tony." There was a long unnatural pause, and for a moment she thought she had lost the connection. She lowered the phone from her ear to check the bars before raising it back up again. "Jim, are you still there?"

She heard him sigh. "Pepper, please don't do this."

Pepper furrowed her brows. "Don't do what exactly? Help Tony?"

That earned her a loud huff. "Tony cannot be helped."

"He is your best friend," she pushed on.

"Was."

"Is. Come on, Rhodey. He's alive. I know he is."

"Pepper..."

"And Christine Everhart knows where he is."

"You have to stop this. Tony is dead. Nothing you can do will bring him back."

The tears she had desperately been holding back after verbally assaulting Happy finally fell. "I need your help, Jim. Please. I can't do this without you. When Tony was taken in Afghanistan, you never gave up on him, no matter how many people told you he was dead. Everyone gave up on him but us. All he had was us. Everyone else wrote him off after a couple of days..."

"Pepper..."

"It took you three months to find him but you never gave up. You never gave up, Rhodey. Not once. No matter how bad things seemed. Why are you giving up on him so easily now?"

"This is different, Pepper, and you know it!" Pepper was surprised at the anger in his tone. She was half tempted to hang up until she heard him sigh softly and apologize for his outburst under his breath. "Pepper, I get that this is difficult for you to accept." His voice was gentle now. "I'm having a hard time accepting it too but pretending he is still alive isn't going to help you get through this. You need to allow yourself to mourn, to feel because right now, you obviously aren't feeling anything. If you actually need something I can help you with, don't hesitant to call but I will not let yourself drag me into this delusion of yours," she heard him inhale deeply this time, heard his voice start to shake, "because I can't handle it." He was openly sobbing into the phone now and it broke Pepper's heart. "I can't do it, Pepper. I loved him too. I already miss him like hell. I cannot allow myself to hold on to any hope that he is still alive because feeling like this again is too fucking terrible."

"Rhodey..." It was difficult for Pepper to form words at all.

"Let yourself feel, Pepper. Please don't do this to yourself. Tony wouldn't want that. I'll talk to you later."

When Rhodes ended the call, Pepper let her phone fall into her lap as she scrubbed the back of her hand over her eyes, trying to rub away the tears. Maybe Rhodes was right. Maybe it was all in her head. Maybe Tony was really dead. Maybe he had died in the crash and her mind was just playing horrible tricks on her so she wouldn't have to deal with the pain of losing the love of her life. Pepper shook her head violently, trying to dispel those negative thoughts from her head. NO. He was not dead. He was not. She would not accept it. She would find Tony and nothing was going to stop her.

That was when she noticed they were back in the garage at the compound. On instinct, she waited for Happy to come around and open her door. He never did. It made a chill run up her spine because there wasn't a time he hadn't come around to open her door. Even if she told him it was not necessary, he still felt like he had to do it.

She knocked on the privacy glass. No answer. She gave it a few more seconds and gave another few wraps of her knuckles. Nothing. Letting the blankets fall onto the seat, she opened her door and got out of the car. When she leaned in to look in the driver's window, her heart shattered. Happy was hunched over the steering wheel, his face twisted away from her but Pepper could see his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. Now she really hated herself for the way she had treated him. Happy cared about Tony too. He was mourning just like Rhodes was. Her trembling hand quickly found the handle and she pulled.

As soon as the door opened, Happy's head immediately shot up. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve before turning to face her. His eyes were red. His cheeks flushed. "S-sorry, Pepper. I should be the one comforting you."

"Oh, Happy..." She leaned in and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "No, I'm the one who is sorry. I'm so so sorry."

After comforting Happy and crying quite a bit herself, she eventually made it back into her and Tony's suite. She had no idea how late it actually was until her eyes fell on the clock on the wall. It had rained heavily all afternoon, the storm clouds blocking out the sun, making the time difficult to gauge. To her complete and utter surprise, it was already nine pm. She had been out aimlessly wandering the streets since lunch. As if her stomach had read her mind, it began to growl. Under normal circumstances, she would have ignored it but then she remembered while she could and would deprive herself of subsistence to get things done, it wasn't just herself anymore. She was pregnant.

Quickly, she stripped out of her damp clothes, exchanging them for clean ones before working on towel drying her hair. Standing in the master bath, she grabbed a brush, tearing through the tangles as she stared at her reflection in the mirror and started to do a mental checklist of the things she needed to do.

God. Any of his Avenger buddies would be of great help right about now. Any of them at all but it looked like she was on her own. At least for now. The brush dropped from her hand as she made her way back out into the kitchen. Wait. She wasn't completely alone. There was one person she could count on. Well, referring to her a person was a bit of a stretch but still...

"Friday?" Pepper called out as she flung open the door to the fridge and dug through its contents trying to find something edible.

"Yes, Boss Lady."

The nickname didn't even phase her at this point. "I'm going to need your help."

"Does this mean I am unmuted?"

"Yes. Yes, it does." Pepper unwrapped a cheese stick and took a bite.

"In that case, I have a message to give you from the Boss. It was taken five minutes after take off."

Pepper almost choked on the contents of her mouth, swallowing it before really chewing. Her anger immediately flared up, and not finding anything else remotely salvageable and realizing just how much she and Tony relied on takeout, she slammed the fridge shut. "What? Are you serious? Why the hell didn't you say anything earlier?"

"To be fair, I did try and tell you. You muted me."

Pepper bit her tongue for what felt like the millionth time today. Friday was her only partner at this point. Best not to burn that bridge just yet. "Play it. Play it now."

When Tony showed up on the mounted screen on the wall, Pepper's knees felt weak and she was forced to sit down or fall. Luckily for her, it wasn't far to the couch. Her heart immediately began to race as she stared at her future husband. He was so fucking gorgeous. She missed him so much already.

"Pep, hey. So, I know I'm not always the easiest person to put up with. I honestly have no idea why you stuck around me all of these years. You are a stronger woman than you give yourself credit for because I'm pretty sure I would have driven anyone else completely crazy by now." He rubbed his chin. The top of his shirt was still unbuttoned, and Pepper could see the marks on his neck that were left behind from their lovemaking session. "I'm rambling again, aren't I? Dammit. Without you around to keep my mind on track, I pretty much go off the rails, don't I? Point is, I want to be a better man for you, for our kids. I'm trying to grow up and grownups do things they don't want to do like attend boring business meetings." He grinned, and Pepper felt herself smiling back. "And grownups have grownup discussions without throwing a temper tantrum because things don't go their way..." He sighed, and Pepper knew where he was going with this.

The burning behind Pepper's eyes started again. "Oh, Tony..."

He ruffled the back of his hair, averting his eyes. He swallowed. "It wasn't right of me to get upset at you back at the hospital. I just..." He shrugged. "I guess in the back of my mind I keep thinking that you will get sick of me, maybe even that you are embarrassed of me and you'll eventually leave and that's why you don't want to take my name but obviously that's not true otherwise you would have left me ages ago."

A sob escaped her lips and the tears started to roll down her cheeks. Oh God. He couldn't actually believe she thought that way about him, could he? She wasn't embarrassed of him. She was so very proud of the man he had become.

He squeezed his eyes shut and gripped the arm rests for several seconds before opening his eyes again. "Take my name, don't take my name. It doesn't matter to me. Just promise you'll never leave me. Promise you'll never stop loving me because I can't live without you. I'm yours. You own me, Pepper Potts. Heart, body and soul." He blinked rapidly before his eyes lazily drifted around as if he suddenly didn't know where he was. "Christ, it's hot as fuck in here." He struggled for about fifteen seconds, trying to unknot his tie but failing miserably. He cursed and then seemed to remember he was still recording a message. "Sorry about that. Where was I? Anyway, I think the point I was trying to make is I love you, I miss you already and I'll see you soon."

Pepper held it together until Tony's face faded from the screen and then the weight of everything that had happened that day finally crashed down on top of her. It was all too much for her to deal with. Her sorrow was like a tsunami crashing violently to shore. There was no stopping it. The only thing she could do was ride it out and hope she survived.

"Anything I can do?" Friday asked as Pepper threw herself sideways on the couch, curling up into a tight ball. For once, the AI actually seemed concerned.

"I need a minute. Just give me one minute," Pepper croaked out between desperate sobs, burying her face deeper into the cushions, to try and muffle her wails of sadness and to her credit, Friday gave her much more than a minute. In fact, an hour and two boxes of tissues later, Friday had still said nothing else to Pepper who hadn't moved from her place on the couch. It would have been all too easy for her to continue to bawl into the ugly piece of furniture that Tony had brought home after she told him she hated it. She had to pull herself back together and now. For Tony. He needed her. After blowing her nose one last time, she told Friday to play the video one more time. Afterwards, she forced herself to speak. "Friday, is this the only message you have from Tony from today?"

"Yes."

"Did he seem a little off to you?" During the second time watching the video, Pepper had noticed Tony's pupils seemed too large to be normal. His movements had grown more sluggish as the message went on and that was not only obvious through his sluggish hand gestures but from his struggle in trying to unknot is tie. He was good with his hands. He knew his way around knots forward and backward. He just liked it when Pepper tied his tie for him. He should not have struggled that much trying to loosen it but he had. Something was wrong.

"If you mean was he acting inebriated? Then yes."

Pepper shook her head as she tried to process the information. "But he wasn't drunk. You told me this message is from five minutes after I left him. He couldn't have gotten drunk in five minutes, which means..."

"He was likely drugged."

Friday confirmed her suspicions. Fuck. Fuck! FUCK! Pepper's hands were shaking. "Friday, were you ever uploaded into Tony's jet?"

"No, but I do have access to the video footage taken inside."

"There are cameras? Jesus, Friday. That would have been good to know..."

"But that being said, there is no video footage available from today. It is all static."

Another oddity. Pepper pushed on. "How about communications between the jet and ground control?"

"It seems once the wheels went up, there was no communication whatsoever, and after he recorded the message, that is when I realized that I had lost contact with Mr. Stark."

"You still cannot reach him?"

"That is a negative. He had me uploaded into his wristwatch. I am on his person at all times. That being said, I am getting nothing from him at this point. It is like he disappeared."

Okay, that was definitely not normal. "Give me every single thing you have on the crash. News reports. Pictures. Footage. Articles. Every single little detail even if you think it doesn't matter. I want the exact flight path of the jet and where it went down." Pepper paused for several seconds before forcing herself to ask the question that had been plaguing her mind. "Friday, do you believe Tony is really dead?"

"I believe there is enough data to question the validity of the reports of Mr. Stark's death."

So there was a chance he was alive. She knew it. "Compile everything you found and give me a rundown. I'm no Tony Stark so make sure to use language I understand."

"Dumb it down. Got it."

"Watch it!" Pepper could hear the smile in the AI's words. "Can you get me the data from the black box?"

"I would usually say yes but from this specific flight, no."

Pepper cocked her head. "Why?"

"I am unsure. I would have to analyze the wreckage to draw any conclusions."

Well, that was an easy decision for Pepper to make. She pushed herself off the couch and strode across the room with purpose. "Well then, I guess it's time for me to suit up. Friday, take me to the jet."


	12. Chapter 12

Tony's plane went down a couple hundred of miles away from where it had taken off. Luckily it was in a wooded area and there were no other deaths or injuries reported other than those on the aircraft. But Pepper didn't know if the pilot and flight crew were actually dead or alive. She was starting to question everything.

The fire department was wrapping up as she landed; the firefighters dragging their hoses and returning their gear to their trucks. The plane had taken down what seemed like a mile of trees. It may have even been more than that. At the moment with the combination of smoke and it being dark, it was difficult to tell. The landscape around where the crash happened was completely destroyed, the giant coniferous trees still standing were burnt out skeletons of what they used to be. And the plane...it was almost hard to tell it had been a plane at all to be honest. It didn't look like any of it held together very well upon impact which surprised her. Stark Industries planes didn't just come apart like this in a crash. In a normal crash that is, she added as an afterthought. Nothing about what had happened was turning out to be normal. She did spot an engine and part of a wing but there wasn't really any big pieces left of the fuselage. It was almost as if it had been blown out of the sky...

"Holy shit. Mr. Stark, is that you?"

She spun around as well as she could manage, still not completely comfortable wearing the suit, and found herself face to face with a curious young firefighter. He had removed his oxygen mask and was staring at her with wide eyes. His face was smudged with soot from the fire. Of course people would think she was Iron Man. After all, how many people flew around in a red and gold suit? Although she was sure her suit was smaller than Tony's although she hadn't seen them side by side yet. Her face mask disappeared exposing her face to the man. She immediately became aware of how smoky the air was. It made her throat itch and then burn. She coughed into the back of an armored hand.

The man blinked at her in surprise. "Miss Potts?"

"Not your first guess, huh?" She asked after the coughing fit had finally passed.

The young man blushed. "No, I mean...not really. I guess I heard that you had a suit too but I never thought I would see the CEO of Stark Industries suit up. That is so cool..." He forced himself to pause his gushing. This guy couldn't have been any older than twenty. He was obviously holding back more of what he wanted to say and it was clearly difficult for him. "I'm sorry."

"For thinking I was Iron Man? That's actually a compliment."

He brushed his shaggy blond hair out of his eyes and Pepper saw sympathy in them. He rubbed at the back of his neck, averting his gaze to his feet. "No, I mean...about Mr. Stark. I'm sorry for your loss."

His apology hit Pepper like a freight train. Even though in her heart she knew Tony wasn't dead, the words automatically made her want to lash out at him, grab him by the shoulders and shake him, to scream in his face that he wasn't dead! He wasn't dead! He just wasn't! But this was just a kid. He was just here to put out the fire. He didn't have anything to do with what had happened...what was still happening. So Pepper buried her feelings deep inside and pushed on. "Was there anything strange about the crash?"

The man lifted his head. His brows were furrowed. He was obviously confused by her question. "Excuse me?"

"When you were putting out the fire, did you notice anything that seemed strange...like this wasn't just an accidental crash?"

The young man perked up at her line of questioning. He obviously knew something. He opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut when a deep voice boomed out from behind Pepper.

"What's going on here?"

A tall bulky man dressed in a dark suit stepped between them. Pepper knew from his looks and the energy he was radiating who she was dealing with immediately. Her heart sank because the kid was going to tell her something but now. Now she was going to get absolutely nothing from him because of a Fed. A freakin' Federal agent. Just what she needed right now.

"Ms. Potts. What are you doing here?" He addressed her, not waiting for a reply as he turned to the young man. "And you. Your services are no longer needed. I'll let you know if I need anymore literal fires put out. I've been assigned to the metaphorical ones." He sent a glare toward the young man who scurried away like a scolded puppy before finally turning his full attention to Pepper. "I'm Agent Jamison."

Not knowing what other angle to use to approach the issue, Pepper launched into her professional banter before he could go any further. She had to try and justify her presence there."As you know, this crash involved Stark Industries' property so it is only right that we..."

Agent Jamison held up a large hand to signal to her to stop talking. "Ms. Potts, both you and I know you inspecting plane crashes is not in your job description as CEO. I know why you are here. This has to do with the fact Tony Stark was onboard when it went down."

As soon as he interrupted her, Pepper's hands became a tight fists at her sides. This guy was treating her like a child, dismissing her without even listening to everything she had to say.

"As you can see," He actually had the gal to gesture toward the bulk of the wreckage as if she hadn't seen it at all, "there are no survivors. Nothing could survive that. I'm truly sorry for your loss...but you have to leave as we are not done conducting our investigation..."

Pepper lifted her lip in a partial snarl. "I'm not leaving until..."

The agent took a threatening step toward her. "You are leaving." Agent Jamison was shockingly unafraid for facing a woman in what was considered a deadly weapon by many but he was a big guy. If Pepper hadn't been in a suit that was capable of blasting him to bits where he stood, she would have been intimidated by his size alone. His voice was another story. It was one of the deepest voices she had ever heard. It rattled her down to her bones. "After we get done with our investigation, a team from Stark Industries will be able to inspect the wreckage up close but as of right now, this is a Federal matter. You have to go. Now."

Pepper dared to meet his strong gaze, narrowing her eyes. The suit made her bolder. That along with the fact she was on a mission to save Tony but even she was shocked when the words, "You will have to make me," came out of her mouth.

The man set his jaw. "Are you threatening a Federal agent, Miss Potts?" His voice was a low growl.

"I would recommend saying no," Friday chirped in her ear.

"Gee, thanks, Friday. Ya think?" Pepper hissed quietly before turning her attention back to Jamison who had his muscular arms crossed across his wide chest as he waited for her answer. "Of course not."

Then he actually took another step toward her. He was taller than her by what seemed to be a foot, even in her suit. He stared her down unblinking but to give herself some credit, she did stare right back. "Then I repeat, you need to leave. Now or I will be forced to use drastic measures."

Now he was the one giving threats. Pepper could have made him do it. Part of her secretly wanted him to do it. After all, she was in an heavily armored suit and she would just love to see what "drastic measures" he could possibly use against her but then her common sense kicked in. God. What she wouldn't give to still have her connections on the inside but Coulson was dead and who the hell knew what was going on with Fury. Without saying another word because she knew she would only get herself into trouble, she took off into the sky, face mask reappearing as she did, only barely resisting the urge to flip him off.

"He did say 'up close,'" Friday said. "He did not say anything about doing it from further away. If we do a few flybys, I can analyze everything from up here."

Pepper couldn't stop the edge of her mouth from turning up. "You know, Friday. I'm really starting to like you."

After Friday had a full picture of the wreckage and they had finally made it back to the suite, it was late. Even though it was much later than she usually dared to stay up, she was still trying to wrap her head around all of the information Friday had told her. First of all, the black box was gone. Second of all, the AI confirmed it was not just another plane crash. From all of the findings, the jet seemed to have been blasted out of the sky. Pepper was leaning against the kitchen counter when Friday's voice seeped into her thoughts. "I need some time to analyze all of the data I collected. I recommend you try and sleep."

Sleep? With everything that was currently going on in her head that was extremely unlikely. But even so, Friday was right. She needed to recharge if she was going to be of any help to Tony at all. Her mind may still be racing a mile a minute but her body was dragging with exhaustion. When she finally crawled into the king-sized bed she shared with Tony and shut off the lamp, she forced her eyes closed and tried to will herself to go to sleep. But no matter how hard she tried, she just could not shut off her thoughts. There were all of Tony. Tony. How could she sleep knowing that he was being held somewhere against his will? Where was he? Was he okay? Did he think she thought he was dead? Was Christine Everhart with him? What was she doing to him? Did she really want to know?

Maybe she was running her fingers through his hair. Maybe she was perched on top of his lap, her lips trailing over his neck, her teeth leaving marks on his skin as her hands traveled over his body...

Stomach lurching violently, Pepper pushed off the covers and all but threw herself from the bed, accidentally knocking over the lamp on the side table. It shattered on the floor but the noise didn't register with her. Neither did the pain she should have felt from the tiny pieces of the now broken lamp being buried into her bare feet as she scurried into the bathroom, dropping to her knees in front of the toilet and retching several times before the contents of her stomach finally came up. Oh God. What was Christine doing to Tony? That woman had smelled so strongly like him that she had to have been all over him. All. Over. Him. What if she did things to him? What if she forced him to...Pepper shuddered as the horrible images of what may be happening to her fiancee flashed before her eyes. She vomited again. She didn't have much of anything to eat all day so she was shocked that she had anything to puke up at all.

"Miss Potts?"

It should have shocked her that Friday chose to call her by her actual given name and sounded a bit concerned but nothing was breaking through her panicked state. There was nothing but Christine and Tony in the forefront of her brain. Christine with her perfect hair and big boobs and her fake smile forcing herself on Tony. Her pressing her red lips to his mouth, leaving lipstick stains on all over his body as she worked her way down to his...

"Miss Potts, do you need assistance?"

Fuck. Why didn't she just confront her earlier when she was in her office? Christine could be with Tony right now. Right now as she was kneeling in the bathroom, worshiping the porcelain god, that blond bitch could be with Tony. Actually with him, forcing him to do things he didn't want to do with her, things that only she should be doing with him.

"Miss Potts, if you do not respond to me in the next thirty seconds, I will be required to call for help."

Help? No. She wasn't the one who needed help, Tony did. Tony needed her help. She had to pull herself together. Finally reigning in her overactive imagination, Pepper put a hand up to signal she was okay. God, did she not want anyone seeing her like this especially not Happy or Rhodes. They were going through their own emotions when it came to Tony. No matter how much it completely sucked and sucked it sure did, she had to do this by herself. "Don't, Friday. Please don't. I will be fine."

With a shaky hand, she reached up and flushed before grabbing a wad of toilet paper to clean her face. After she took a few moments to get her erratic breathing under control, the stinging in the bottoms of her feet finally reached her brain. Her eyes took in the bloody footprints leading from the bedroom to where she was currently sitting. She had stepped on glass and from the feel and look of it, a fuck-load of the stuff. Great.

"You have shards of glass in your feet," Friday confirmed. "You need to remove them. Do you need assistance?"

"No, Friday. I think I can figure it out. I'll let you know if I change my mind." Sitting cross legged on the tiles, Pepper lifted one foot and examined the damage before checking the other one. The right one was in worse shape. The left one only had a shard or two she had to dig out. She scooted on her bottom toward the counter, blindly feeling around for the pair of tweezers she knew was up there. Once she located them, she opened the cupboard under the sink to grab some peroxide. This...this was not going to be fun but then again, nothing about this entire experience was fun.

It took her about thirty minutes and an entire dictionary of curse words to pry all of the glass out of her feet. If Tony were around, he honestly would have been shocked by her potty mouth. The only time she usually swore she when she was beyond pissed off or in the bedroom. Yep. Maybe it would come as a shock to some but Pepper Potts could have a dirty mouth in the bedroom. Tony just brought out that side of her but having to dig into her foot to drag out splinters of glass, yep...that also made her curse like a sailor. Before she put up her tools for the night, she had Friday make sure she had gotten everything out. When Friday assured her that she had indeed gotten all of the foreign material out of her skin, she was overjoyed because honestly, at the moment, she didn't think she had it in her to pull anymore out.

"Thank you, Friday."

"You are very welcome."

Hmmm. They were somewhat civil now. She honestly never thought that day would come. Pepper pushed herself off the floor, hobbling on her aching feet as she slowly maneuvered across the bathroom. Maybe a nice hot shower would help her relax and help her sleep. Plus she did have all of this blood to get off her feet. May as well try and clean up a little bit.

The hot water did feel amazing. It felt good to feel warm for once. It felt like she hadn't been warm in days. She tipped her chin down to see if she had gotten all of the blood off her feet and that's when her eyes fell on her protruding belly. Her hands roamed gently over the small growing bump. Her stomach had always been toned, in tip top condition so this...this was a definite change. How could she have possibly missed it? Maybe she didn't want to see it. Maybe in the back of her mind she had known she was pregnant all along but chose to try and ignore it, forcing herself into her usual clothes even though she couldn't breathe because she didn't know how Tony would react to the news of him becoming a father. Oh God, Tony...Tony, please be okay. I can't do this without you, please. Tony, please...

She didn't remember shutting the water off or stepping out of the shower. When she finally became somewhat coherent again, she was nude, rummaging almost violently through the hamper in the closet. Its contents were strewn about as the tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't care the tiniest bit that she was making a huge mess. Where is it? Where the fuck is it? She hadn't done laundry in a few days so it had to be here somewhere. Bingo. Greedily, she snatched her finding up, the shirt Tony had been wearing the day before, and held it to her nose, inhaling deeply. His scent immediately calmed her. Slipping Tony's used shirt over her head, she climbed back into bed, burying her nose into its collar, finally falling into a dreamless sleep.

The first thing Friday said to her the following morning was, "Justin Hammer is out of prison."

Pepper gasped a loud, dropping the spoon into her cereal. It clanged noisy against the empty bowl, making her jump in her seat. "What?" Even thought she had heard what Friday had said, she needed to hear it again.

"Justin Hammer has been released early from prison on good behavior," Friday continued, "He released a statement publicly yesterday offering his condolences about Mr. Stark on behalf of his company."

Pepper was stunned to silence. There it was. The missing piece. Justin Hammer was out. Justin freakin' Hammer. There was no way Christine Everhart could have pulled off Tony's abduction by herself. She had to have had help from someone who had access to advanced technology. Justin Hammer had those connections and nobody had a vendetta against Tony like that man did.

Pepper pushed her chair back from the table and stumbled clumsily to her feet. "It's Hammer. Everhart is working with Hammer. I'm sure of it." While she may have been sure of it in her mind, she still needed to prove it and the best way to do that was through Christine. "Friday, I'm going to need a tracker. I'm going to put one on Everhart's car and see what she is up to. I also need some listening devices for her office."

"All of those items are available and at your disposal."

Putting the tracker on the car would be easy enough since Friday was able to tell her the make, model and license plate of Everhart's vehicle but bugging her office was going to be more difficult of a task. She was actually going to have to confront her again and just thinking about being in the same room as her put her on edge. But she would do it. She would do it for Tony.

It didn't take long for Pepper to locate Everhart's car in the parking garage at her place of work. Shimming underneath the vehicle, she placed the tracker quickly, not wanting to get caught in the act by a random passerby or by Everhart herself. Once the device was in place, she moved her own car several spots away from Christine's and turned off the ignition, letting her head fall forward against the steering wheel. She had to go back into her office. She had to but that meant facing her again. That meant sitting across from her and looking into her eyes and actually opening up to her or at least pretending to. After the way things were left between them, Pepper knew she was going to ask about her pregnancy. Her hands tightened on the wheel as she worked on controlling her breathing. Suck it up, Potts. Tony needs you. Taking in a deep breath, Pepper lifted her head and stared at herself in the mirror before letting it shudder out of her. "Well, here goes nothing..."


	13. Chapter 13

Christine was in a good mood. A really good mood. In fact, she honestly couldn't recall a time in her life when she had actually felt better. Okay, so maybe the birth of her son was a good day too except for the stretch marks she had as a reminder but this, this was fucking spectacular. There was absolutely no down side to this. How could she not be ecstatic when Tony Stark was finally hers? Take that, Virginia Potts. HA! Settling into the chair at her desk and making herself comfortable, she sighed, allowing her eyes to flutter closed as she thought about Tony. God. Just thinking about that man made her absolutely crazy with desire. Everything about that man was perfect. Her body flushed as she recalled the feel of his muscles moving underneath her hands as she moved them over his body. She could still taste him on her lips. He tasted just as good as she remembered all of those years ago.

As of yet, she may have only kissed his neck but damn if that wasn't fucking delicious. Her mind went wild as she thought about how delirious it would make her when she would finally press her mouth against his again..feel his tongue moving against her own. Tony had not been as excited as her about the whole experience but that was okay. She would take it slow. They had all the time in the world.

"Ms. Everhart?" came a voice over the intercom.

"Yes?" Her tone was full of annoyance. She did not want to be interrupted while fantasizing about her future with the man she loved.

"Virginia Potts is here asking to see you."

Christine's eyebrows shot skyward. That was definitely not what she expected to happen today. She was completely shocked that the woman would come back after the way things were left the other day. She was almost positive she would never see Pepper again and that would have been just fine with her. After all, this was the woman who currently owned Tony's heart and was carrying his baby. Fuck did she not want to think about that, but now, just imagining sitting across from her knowing that Tony was no longer hers made a pleasant feeling spread through her body. She couldn't stop a smile from spreading across her lips, lips that had tasted Tony Stark's skin not more than three hours earlier. "Send her in."

Pepper came in looking like death warmed over. Her usually put together self was falling apart in front of her very eyes and this was only after thinking Tony was dead for one day. Christine honestly couldn't recall ever seeing Pepper dressed the way she was now, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black Stark Industries hoodie that was too big for the slender frame of her body. Then it hit her. Tony's. She was wearing one of Tony's hoodies, obviously trying to hold onto the man she would never touch again as if wearing his clothing was somehow going to bring him back to her. If only Pepper knew that she had been with Tony only a few hours earlier. Knowing that may have destroyed her completely.

"Christine?" Pepper's voice was surprisingly timid, almost shy. She sounded nothing like the CEO of Stark Industries that she was. She no longer looked the part either. As she stood there in the doorway, looking completely lost, she wouldn't even meet Christine's eyes.

Christine motioned to the seat across from her. "Come on in. Sit."

Pepper shuffled over to the chair. "Sorry to just come over like this..."

"No need to apologize. I meant what I said. I'm here if you need to talk." Christine watched as she lowered herself into the chair. "Completely off record, of course."

Pepper refused to look directly at her, staring instead at her hands in her lap as she fidgeted nervously with the ends of her sleeves. Now that she was closer, Christine could see the dark circles under Pepper's eyes. The woman didn't usually wear too much makeup but she wasn't wearing any today. It was evident by the way the freckles on her nose and cheeks stood out against her pale skin. "Thank you."

Christine simply sat back in her chair, waiting patiently for Pepper to start talking, and she would eventually start talking. They all did. A large part of being a reporter was being patient and waiting. She was good at it. She would get what she wanted out of her in good time. She wasn't going to try and push her or she may scare her out of her office and in all honestly, now that she was here, she didn't want her to leave. She wanted, no, needed Pepper to tell her every little thing about Tony Stark. She was going to get to know the man inside and out. While she did know quite a lot about him because hell, everyone on the planet earth knew who Tony Stark was, she knew nobody in the world knew the man better than Pepper Potts herself.

"I-I honestly don't know why I'm here." Pepper's voice was barely above a whisper. Strands of her red hair had fallen out of her messy ponytail and hung down in her face as she stared helplessly into her lap. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I just-I just can't believe he is gone. He just can't be gone because-because he's Tony Stark, you know?"

Christine perked up, leaning forward in her seat but making sure not to make a noise. She was talking already. Good.

"It was like he was invincible. I mean, I know nobody is completely invincible. Everybody has a weakness but Tony, Tony had been through so much and had come through it all. He was captured by terrorists and built a suit in a cave to escape. He flew a nuke through a fucking wormhole and came back for god's sake but this..."

Christine could tell Pepper was in a losing battle with her emotions. It wouldn't be long before she would crack.

"This? A plane crash? A fucking plane crash took his life? A plane crash killed Iron Man?"

There was the anger Christine knew was there.

"Not terrorists. Not aliens. Not an evil genius with a personal vendetta. Not even an experiment gone wrong had killed him but a plane crash?" A bitter laugh that sounded more like a sob escaped Pepper's throat before she clamped her mouth shut, inhaling deeply through her nose before letting the breath shudder out of her mouth. "Me. It was suppose to be me. I was suppose to be on that plane. Not him." Pepper finally lifted her head, and Christine saw the despair in her eyes. And guilt. So much guilt it would have crushed a normal person. The redhead blinked in rapid succession as the tears finally began streaking down her cheeks in silver rivers. "I made him lock his suit up. Me. God. It's still fucking locked up now. Maybe if he had it with him, he would still be here. We were suppose to get married. We were suppose to raise our babies together..."

Christine tried to hide the shock that she knew was evident on her face, not really knowing if she succeeded or not. Babies. Not baby. Babies. Plural. Just when she could barely accept the fact that Pepper was carrying his child, now she learned that there was more than one of them. Twins...maybe triplets? Jesus. Jealousy threatened to rear its ugly head but now wasn't the time for it. After all, she obviously wasn't far into the pregnancy. Maybe she would lose the babies naturally and if she didn't, maybe she could personally help with that. Holy shit. She was becoming a truly evil bitch but hell, if anyone was going to have Tony Stark's babies, it was going to be her and nobody else.

Pepper swiped at her tear stained cheeks with a sleeve of her hoodie but it really didn't do much good. Right now, Pepper Potts looked nothing more than a little lost child but Christine couldn't allow herself to feel sorry for her. "I can't. I can't do this without him. I don't want to do this without him." The sobs she had been holding in finally overtook her, forcing her to lean forward onto the desk as she sobbed into an arm.

Christine forced herself to reach out and touch her shaking shoulders in what she hoped came off as a reassuring pat because the last thing she wanted to do was actually touch her. Let her suffer. "I'm so sorry for your loss." Your loss is my gain. Christine watched as Pepper wailed and bawled into the perfectly polished wood of her desk. It was a satisfying sight to see, to watch this normally strong woman come completely unhinged and falling into pieces. Without Tony, there would be no one to put her back together. Who's the trash now?

"S-s-sorry," Pepper apologized after what was almost ten long minutes of uninterrupted crying that made Christine's ironclad patience start to wane. The upset woman finally lifted her head and settled back into her seat.

"Did Tony know about the pregnancy?" Christine held out a box of tissues to the pathetic excuse of a woman.

Pepper nodded, accepting her offer. "We just found out...the day after the engagement party." She wiped her runny nose, cringing slightly as the events of the day probably played back in her mind. "About that...I'm..."

Christine held up a hand to stop her. "Please, don't worry about it. It's in the past."

Pepper sniffed. "But I broke your nose."

Christine forced a smile. "I showed you a picture to try and get a rise out of you. I guess I got what I deserved." Oh, yes. In the end, she really really had. She had finally gotten Tony Stark. That was worth a busted up nose. Now to just get him to fall in love with her.


	14. Chapter 14

Tony didn't remember falling asleep but at some point he must have nodded off because he was awakened by the slamming of the door behind him. The sound made goosebumps form on his exposed skin. God, did he not want any company right now. He hadn't even had time to come up with a plan to get the hell out of there. Well, at least his head wasn't fuzzy anymore. The drugs must have finally cleared from his system overnight.

"Anthony..."

For once he can honestly say he was happy to hear Hammer's annoying sing-song voice. The tensed muscles in her shoulders slowly relaxed. It at least meant it wasn't Christine. He did not want to see that woman again although he knew it was inevitable. She had promised him she would come back. The way she touched him...he shivered violently. He could still feel her lips on his neck, and it made his skin crawl. Never in his life had he felt so violated by a simple touch but it was the promise behind it. He knew what she eventually wanted from him and there was no way in hell he was voluntarily going to give it to her. He would die before betraying Pepper like that.

"How's it going?" Hammer had his usually cocky smile plastered across his face as he came around to stand in front of him. He was dressed in a what the sleazeball would probably consider an expensive suit and still somehow managed to come off as nothing more than a used car salesman.

Tony had so many things he wanted to say to the man but he settled for merely glaring at him.

This only caused Hammer to up his fake charm or at least try, but in Tony's book he failed miserably. "Are the accommodations not to your liking?"

Did this guy actually think he was funny? Oh, it was on now. Tony upped his glare by one hundred percent, wishing his eyes had lasers so he could cut the asshole down where he stood. See who would be laughing then.

"Don't worry. This is just temporary." Hammer adjusted his glasses. "Once we get you fitted with e-cuffs this afternoon, we will get you out of that chair."

Tony lifted his brows in question. "E-cuffs?"

"Yep. Ones that will shock you into cardiac arrest if you try anything funny. The ones we tried on the last guy brought him back to life at least ten times before his heart couldn't take anymore and he finally died."

That made the sarcastic words Tony wanted to shoot back at him about the ridiculous name of the device dissolve on his tongue. Oh fuck. That did not sound pleasant. At all. Getting electrocuted was not a pleasant experience by any means. He had enough personal experience with that from working as an engineer. "You ever going to tell me why I'm here, Hammer?"

"Okay, what the hell. I'll humor you. As you know, my company has been experiencing some financial troubles lately..."

"Because nothing you make actually works," Tony shot back. He just couldn't help himself.

Now it was Hammer's turn to glare. "Very funny." He turned from Tony and began to pace back and forth in front of him. "You are going to fix that. Guess who is getting back into the weapon making business?" Hammer stopped, turning back to him. "You, Anthony Stark. There is a niche to be filled ever since your company stopped manufacturing them. You are going to design weapons for me and if you refuse..." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, do I really have to tell you what will happen?" Hammer's mouth quirked up on one side, waiting for Tony to come to his own conclusion.

Was this douchebag threatening Pepper? His hackles immediately went up. "You honestly think you can get your grimy hands on Pepper? After what happened to me, she is probably being watched like a hawk. You won't get within fifty miles of her."

To Tony's surprise, Hammer stuck his bottom lip out and shrugged. "That is definitely a possibility. That's why I won't start with her. After all, it would look fishy if she disappeared right after you died so I'll start with you first and work my way up if necessary. On a scale of one to ten, how much do you like your face?"

Tony was grinning like a fool now. It was a crazed smile that he couldn't hold back and likely seemed out of place on his face. "You know damn well what the answer to that is. My good lucks are off the charts. I beat you on all fronts. Charm. Looks. Smarts. I've got it all."

If his words got to Hammer, he didn't let it show. "Christine would agree with you. And I did promise not to hurt you too badly but...you will heal fast especially with the advanced nano-tech healing devices my top scientists have come up with. I can break every bone in your body and have them healed by the time she gets back here."

Tony did not like the sound of that but then again he was bluffing. He had to be. There was no way Hammer had that kind of technology at his fingertips. No one did. It just didn't exist. "Do your worst. I will never create weapons again especially not for the likes of you."

Instead of getting angry, Hammer merely leaned in closer to him, holding his gaze, and Tony did not like what he saw reflected in those eyes. There was desperation there. And a little bit of insanity. "You want another hole in your chest, Stark? I promise you, I will open you up and hold your beating heart in my bare hands with you wide awake to watch."

Panic. Now Tony was starting to panic.

Hammer must have noticed his dismay because he asked, "Change your mind yet?"

Tony swallowed down his fear and met the eyes of his captor once again. No matter how scared he was, there was no fucking way he was going to design weapons for this madman. No way in hell. It would go against everything he believed in. "No."

"Have it your way." Justin motioned to someone standing just out of Tony's line of sight. So Hammer hadn't entered the room alone.

When the other occupant of the room came around the side of his chair, Tony's mouth went dry. Just when he thought Hammer couldn't have anymore tricks up his sleeve, standing in front of him was one of the newest members from Stark Industries security team. Triple B as the other members of the team liked to call him because as they put it he was big, bald and black. Oh shit. If he got out of this, Hogan was never going to forgive himself for letting this guy slip through the cracks. He was one of Hammer's. And then it hit him. If Hammer really wanted to get to Pepper, he easily could. She wasn't safe. Not at all.

"Now, if at any time you want to reconsider, just let me know. Just say yes and it will stop." Hammer brought his wrist up to casually check the time before lowering it again as if he wasn't about to witness someone's torture. "Otherwise I will just be over here, watching him beat the shit out of you. We have approximately four hours before we have to stop so I can get you all healed up by the time Christine gets back but that should be more than enough time to get what I want out of you."

Tony pulled hard against the restraints. "You aren't getting anything from me!"

"For now, your screams will be enough." Hammer crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back into the wall. "You can start."

Tony's eyes involuntarily widened in fear as the large man stepped forward and took his first swing at him. When his fist connected with his jaw, Tony actually saw stars. The coppery taste of blood filled his mouth and made him choke. Holy shit did that man pack a punch.

"Careful not to knock his teeth out. Wouldn't want to wreck that pretty boy smile of his. It's one of his only good traits." Hammer said.

"Fuck you," Tony managed to spit out seconds before a second hit to the face snapped his mouth shut on his tongue. If his jaw wasn't broken before, it sure as fuck was now. Tears sprang to his eyes. Another hit to his face and he couldn't stop himself from whimpering. His vision went black around the edges. Maybe he should just say yes. All he had to do was say three little letters and the assault on him would stop immediately. No. No. No matter what they did to him he was not going to use his knowledge to make weapons again. Never again. All he could do was hold onto the distant memory of those soldiers back in the Humvee. Soldiers that were barely older than children assigned to protect him, murdered by the weapons he created to keep them safe. Ramirez, Pratt and Jimmy. All of them dead. But he survived and he made a promise to himself to never betray their memories. Never. He kept his focus on their scared faces and it gave him resolve to hold on even as the blows continued to fall.

Eventually he was barely clinging onto consciousness. His eyes were swollen shut. He honestly didn't know how much more his body could take before it finally gave out. This guy wasn't letting up, and he wasn't as young as he used to be. The pain was beginning to be too much for him to bare. The next series of punches were directly to his chest. He didn't understand how much trouble he was truly in until it began a struggle to even breathe. He could only gasp and even then he wasn't getting enough oxygen. Oh shit. He had a collapsed lung.

So this was how it was going to end. At least if he died Pepper would be safe. She would be safe and so would the twins. God. He would never get to meet his babies. Pepper would have to raise them all alone. I'm sorry, Pepper. I'm so so sorry.

"That's enough." Tony barely heard Hammer's words. The pain was all he could focus on until he was unable to pull enough air into his lungs. His last conscious thoughts were of Pepper.

He jerked awake with a start, realizing that he was no longer strapped to the chair but lying on the cold floor in a completely different room. This room had no torture chair and there was a bed. The florescent lighting overheard buzzed loudly. He was no longer in his designer suit but was dressed in black pants, a matching shirt and sneakers. There were metallic cuffs on his ankles and wrists but he was free to move. He should have been hurting from the beating that was just delivered on him but other than feeling a bit light headed, he felt okay. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Did he dream up the entire thing? He had to have because he didn't want to think about the implications of it if it was real.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." Justin Hammer was suddenly standing over him. It was something he loved to do now that Tony was basically at his mercy. "You took a hell of a beating there, Anthony. I'm actually impressed you didn't cry like a little bitch."

A snarl of rage erupted from Tony's throat as he lunged up at Justin, planning to put his hands around his throat when a jolt of white-hot pain knocked him on his ass. His vision went fuzzy around the edges for several seconds. His head was buzzing. What the hell? He lifted the cuffs on his wrists to examine them. Ah. These must be the e-cuffs. And unlike other Hammer products, these seem to actually work. Just fucking great.

"That's what will happen if you misbehave, Stark, and that's not even at full power. I can crank it up a few hundred volts if you would like. It'll give your hair extra body."

"Thanks but I'll pass. Electroshock really isn't my kink," Tony mumbled, dropping his hands into his lap. He didn't know how much more his heart could take before giving out and he didn't want to risk it. Not now. Not when he didn't have a plan.

"You may be feeling a bit weak and sick to your stomach but it should soon pass. Those are a few of the common side effects from the rapid healing process. We have only recently started human testing so well...you are one of our lab rats. Don't worry. There haven't been any lasting side effects discovered. Yet."

"That's-that's impossible." Tony couldn't keep the wonder out of his voice. The scientist in him wouldn't allow it. What Hammer had said earlier about the technology he developed was true. So it hadn't been a dream. "You weren't lying about the rapid healing tech."

"I wasn't and what good would would our nano-tech healing be without the need for it in the first place? You catch my drift." Hammer wagged his brows. "I mean, I have virologists working for me but I needed someone with your special expertise as well. I want to cover all of my bases."

"Shit." Holy fucking shit. Tony suddenly understood everything.

"You get it now." Hammer was obviously pleased that Tony didn't need too much of an explanation to catch on to his plan. "I create the supply and the demand. Right? Gotta make sure people will always need to be healed. Viruses. Injuries. Doesn't matter how it happens. My tech can fix it. I'm going to be one rich bastard even richer than the great Tony Stark."

Tony swallowed the bile that was rising in his throat. "You are one crazy son of a bitch." He didn't know what else to say. Justin Hammer was planning on creating viruses and weapons to unleash on humanity so he could make sure the world would always need his new healing technology, and he was going to drag him along for the ride.

"Well," Justin clapped his hands together. "While this has been quite fun, Christine will be here soon so until tomorrow's session, I bid you adieu. Just so you know, she can and will shock the shit out of you so don't try anything stupid." Hammer kept his eyes on Tony as he finally pushed himself up to his feet. "Oh and in case you need to freshen up a bit, bathroom's right there." He pointed over Tony's shoulder. "You even have a shower but unfortunately there are no razors so you can't mansculpt your signature goatee for your date with Christine tonight."

Tony didn't miss a beat. "Good thing I don't have one because I would use it to slit your smarmy little throat, you sick fuck."

Hammer chuckled. "God, I missed you while I was incarcerated all of those years, Anthony. I truly, truly did. Now you can have a taste of what prison feels like. But hey, unlike me you at least get conjugal visits."

There was no fucking way Christine Everhart was going to get his pants off again. Not in this lifetime. Tony knew Hammer was only trying to get a rise out of him. He wasn't going to take the bait this time and give him the satisfaction of upsetting him. The jerk probably just wanted to give himself a reason to shock the hell out of him. "Did you drop your soap one too many times in prison, Hammer?"

Hammer was standing only a foot away now. Tony did the math in his head. His math was never wrong. He could take him. He could take him before he was shocked. He knew it. He could drop his cocky ass to the floor and beat him senseless, and it would feel so fucking good.

Hammer knew what he was thinking. "I can see you running the numbers. Try it. I dare you."

He could take him but then what? Then nothing because he was betting he wasn't going to be able to just stroll out of there untouched.

"That's what I thought. Give Christine a kiss for me. She's not really my type but you know, whatever tickles your pickle." Hammer actually had the audacity to wink at him before turning his back and leaving him alone in the room.

But he wouldn't be alone soon. Christine. Fuck. Christine was coming. He ran his hands nervously through his hair. What the hell was he going to do?


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter mentions rape

"Might I suggest that you slow down?"

Pepper ignored Friday's suggestion and pressed the accelerator to the floor. She was flying down the road at a rate of speed that would even make Tony clutch his pearls and hang on for dear life. Her hands were gripping the wheel more tightly than necessary. Her bottom lip was almost bleeding from how hard she was currently chewing on it. Things were definitely not going as planned. Not at all. She had managed to plant the bugging device in Christine's office without her getting suspicious of her actions. She had been seconds away from trying to think of a good reason to excuse herself when Christine suddenly rose from her desk and dropped a bombshell on her throwing everything she had planned out the window.

"Can we continue this conversation tomorrow? I have a few things I have to do before my date tonight."

Pepper's tears had immediately dried as she sat up straight in her chair. "Date?"

Christine smiled at her. "Yes. I have been waiting so very long for this night. I've got a feeling it is going to be the best night of my life."

Pepper's mouth went dry. Oh my God. Tony. She was talking about a date with HER Tony. She had to be. Don't freak out, Pepper. Don't freak out. She kept repeating those words over and over in her head but it didn't help. Not in the slightest because the images that filtered into her thoughts were anything but tame. They all involved Christine and Tony. With no clothes on. She freaked out. She bolted from her chair, tipping it over in the process as she ran from the room.

Now she was currently hurtling down the highway at breakneck speed toward home. She had to get there and fast. She had to try and figure out what the hell she was going to do. All of her well laid plans were now thrown out the window. She didn't have the time she thought she had to figure things out. From the sound of it, Christine was going to force Tony to sleep with her and she was not going to allow that to happen. Over her dead body.

"You are well aware that a red light means stop? Am I correct in assuming this?"

If Friday had a body, she would strangle her. She really would. When she saw the flashing red and blues in her rear view mirror, she let out a frustrated scream. If Friday said anything about this, Pepper would make her regret it. "Oh great. Just freakin' great."

"To be fair, I did try and warn you."

Pepper grit her teeth. Of course Friday wouldn't have been able to resist telling her she messed up. "Friday..." was all the warning Pepper had to grumble. The AI immediately went silent as she pulled the car over to the side of the road and rolled down the window, waiting for the police officer to approach. How was she going to talk her way out of this one?

The officer that stepped up to her window had a full beard and piercing eyes. Eyes that made her feel guilty without him having to say a thing. He definitely went into the right profession. "Ms. Potts. I don't even need to ask if you know why I pulled you over, do I?" He frowned at her. If she thought the eyes were bad, his frown was enough to make a person want to confess to a murder they did not commit.

Pepper gave him her best sheepish look, trying to apologize. She wasn't surprised he knew who she was. Her job as CEO of Stark Industries and her being the fiancee of Tony Stark himself made it impossible for her to keep a low profile. She had gotten use to it but sometimes she just wished she could be a normal person with normal problems. She sighed. She didn't recognize this specific officer but she was driving one of Tony's cars. The Stark on the license plate kind of gave it away. The police department in this area was quite familiar with Tony Stark. There was no use in denying it. Pepper shook her head. Nope. She knew exactly why he pulled her over.

"I'm actually shocked it was you. I've never once pulled you over. I would sworn Mr. Stark had been driving. I think I've pulled him over like thirty times this past year alone..." he stopped, clenching his jaw when he realized what he had said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

"It's okay. No offense taken." Pepper forced herself to give him an understanding smile. She was getting really tired of people apologizing to her for talking about Tony but now wasn't the time to get upset over it. Now was the time to be apologetic and try to get herself out of this as quickly was possible. "I'm the one who's sorry. I'm just going through a lot."

"So much that you didn't see red lights or know that you were going thirty miles over the posted speed limit?" The officer raised his brows in question.

He had her there. She closed her eyes and slumped in her seat. He wasn't going to let her off. She would be lucky if she had her license after this. She could only pray he wouldn't drag her into the station for reckless driving. "I have no excuses."

"Actually you do although it doesn't take away the fact you were indeed breaking the law. Mr. Stark was quite the philanthropist and has done a lot for our force and officers in general. I'll let you off with a warning this time. Just slow down, okay?"

"Got it, officer. Thank you so much." As Pepper watched him walk back to his patrol car, she tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. Was. The officer had used past tense when talking about Tony. Her hands tightened a notch on the wheel. Not was. Is. Tony is okay, and I am getting him back.

It took her a little longer than she wanted to get home because she drove a bit under the speed limit to make up for her reckless behavior. When she got back to her place, the first thing she did was make sure to unlock the access to Tony's suit. She was actually glad that her rambling back at Christine's office had reminded her of the fact Tony hadn't used the suit since before their engagement party, and it was still under lock and key.

Seeing the familiar red and gold brought back so many memories. She could still remember the first time she caught him trying to get out of the suit. The Mark III, wasn't it? God, what number was this one? It was likely in the triple digits by now. Oh, Tony. Pepper laughed softly to herself, letting her head fall against the cool metal as her arms slid up the back of the suit. Her eyes fluttered closed and she let her mind wander, imagining Tony was there with her. The tears threatened to sneak up on her again but she blinked them back. There wasn't time for another breakdown today. Tony, the real Tony needed her. Taking a deep breath, she pulled away from the empty suit, dragging her hands over face.

"As soon as you can locate Tony, send him the suit. I don't care if he calls for it or not. Send it."

"Yes, Boss Lady," Friday confirmed.

Pepper only barely avoided rolling her eyes. So, she had been downgraded to Boss Lady again? And here she was thinking they had made some progress in their strange relationship. "Friday, I'm going to need you to put Christine's current coordinates in my GPS." It was now well after six and Christine was either on her way to Tony or already there. Thinking about what Christine had planned for her date night with Tony made her stomach churn but even so she forced herself to eat the food she had gotten on her way back. Normally, she wasn't into eating fast food but now she was chowing down on a cheeseburger and fries. Maybe it was the pregnancy or just maybe it just reminded her of Tony. Probably both. "I'm going after Tony," she admitted to Friday. "Nothing you say is going to stop me." Pepper knew in the back of her mind it honestly wasn't the best idea but she had to go through with it. She was out of time.

"I do not recommend this. I have yet to come up with the best course of action based on the information I have compiled. You have not even requested that I go over my data with you."

"Were you and I in the same room earlier? Were you there when Christine was talking about her date later on? She was talking about Tony or did you not figure that out?"

"I was indeed there, but what happened to coming up with a plan? You are acting irrationally."

Pepper's hands became tight fists at her sides. She knew that Friday was right. She knew she was allowing her emotions to get the best of her but she wasn't about to admit it especially not to something that didn't even have a body. "I'm acting irrationally? Me wanting to protect Tony is irrational?"

"Are you wanting to protect him or yourself?"

That sent Pepper's hackles skyward. She had been on her way to the door but froze in place as Friday's words started to sink in. "What does that mean?" Pepper knew exactly what the AI was referring to but she wanted her to say it out loud. There was no response from Friday. "Friday? Friday, are you going to answer me?"

"I don't mean to anger you. That is not my intent but I want you to think about what you are about to do."

"Why don't you clarify what you meant for me." Pepper gripped the door tightly, fingernails almost breaking off from the force of it.

"If Ms. Everhart is indeed in love with Mr. Stark, she would not allow any physical harm to come to him. I think you know that."

Pepper slammed the door and continued on her way, stomping down the stairs. "Are you familiar with what rape is, Friday? Wouldn't that qualify as harm to you?"

"I do, and it would but if you go now without knowing what you are walking into, the risks are much higher. How do you think Mr. Stark would deal with you getting yourself killed trying to save him?"

Pepper paused at the bottom of the stairway. "So you are saying I just sit back and let him suffer?"

"What am I saying is Mr. Stark is more than willing to endure a bit of pain as long as it keeps you out of harm's way. My recommendation is we use tonight to go over the data I have already collected. We wait a few days and get information from the tracker and the bug in Ms. Everhart's office and proceed from there."

Tears of anger jumped to Pepper's eyes. Even though Friday's words were true and Tony would suffer for her as he proved countless times in the past, she wasn't going to let anything more happen to him. No way. He had been through enough suffering to last a hundred lifetimes, and he deserved none of it. Behind all of the love reflected in his eyes was sadness and that would never go away. "Friday, I'm in charge here. Not you. Stay muted until further notice."

Pepper hurried down to the parking garage and chose a car that would be less noticeable so it definitely wasn't one of Tony's. It was one of the many unlabeled company cars. Simple. Black Unmarked. The fanciest thing about it was the moon roof. "Give me the coordinates of Ms. Everhart's car. Now. Put them in the GPS," Pepper ordered, sliding into the driver's seat.

Friday followed her orders without uttering a word. When Pepper pulled out of the garage, she noticed Happy was calling her but she ignored it. There was no point telling him what she was planning on doing. All she would get is a lecture and him telling her she needed to let Tony go. She had already heard enough of that from Rhodes.

It took her three extremely long hours of white knuckle driving to get to the place the GPS was claiming Christine's car was. It was now night, and she was in the middle of freakin' nowhere. Christine's car was nowhere to be seen. In fact, there seemed to be nothing for miles except the empty road in front of her and the fields that lined the dark highway. She put down the window and shut the car off, leaving the headlights on. The cool breeze was a welcoming feeling against her overly hot skin. She realized she had sweat through the back of her shirt. As she leaned her head back against the headrest to take a moment to try and slow her racing heart, Pepper felt the control on her temper slipping once again. If this was Friday's idea of trying to teach her a lesson, she would never forgive her.

"There isn't anything here, Friday. This is a field. Did you take me here as a joke because this is not funny." Not getting an immediate response, Pepper lifted her bracelet up to examine it, flipping the lights on the inside of the car on. "Friday, you can talk now. Seriously. Are you giving me the silent treatment just because I didn't listen to you earlier? Unmute. Friday, I demand that you answer my questions. Unmute."

But Friday was silent. A chill ran down Pepper's spine as she reached across the seat to grab her cell phone. There were no bars. She tried in vain to send out a text but it refused to send. It was like she had driven into a dead zone where her electronics refused to work. She tried to make a call but it didn't go through. Goosebumps formed on her exposed skin. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end. Something was not right about this. Something was very very wrong. Go. Go. Go. Go. Her mind was screaming at her as she stared at the completely useless phone in her hand. Her other hand went out to turn the key in the ignition...

"Virginia, long time, no see."

Pepper dropped her phone and jumped in her seat at the sound of a male voice next to her ear. Her head would have surely hit the ceiling if she hadn't been buckled in. Justin Hammer was standing next to her open window, staring down at her, mischievous smile plastered on his face. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of him. Where in the hell had he come from? Pepper opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out except a gasp.

Hammer reached through the open window and put his hand on top of the one that had settled back on the wheel. "I know what you are thinking and you don't want to do that, honey. You won't make it out of here alive. Take your other hand off the key and let's talk about this."

Pepper shivered involuntarily when Hammer had touched her before trying to yank away from his grasp but he only tightened his grip refusing to let go. That's when Pepper raised her eyes and noticed the men in full body armor that stood around her car, guns pointed directly at her. She wasn't going to be able to simply drive away from this. Where in the hell had they all come from? They hadn't been there a minute ago. She knew they hadn't. This was impossible.

"I have a sniper that can hit a moving target more than a half a mile away. I would recommend not trying anything stupid," Hammer said.

Pepper saw the red dot on her chest and knew he wasn't joking. Her breath caught in her throat. She was in so much trouble.

Hammer opened her door and leaned in, his minty breath washing over her face. "Scoot on over and let me drive, honey. We have a lot of catching up to do."


	16. Chapter 16

Pepper was trying her hardest not to hyperventilate as she relinquished control, and Justin Hammer slid into the driver's seat of the car. He gave her one of his classic Hammer grins before turning the key and inching the car back out onto the open road. Pepper was now in the passenger seat. The red dot had shifted with her and still rested on her chest. Her right hand was on the door handle but she knew she couldn't bail from the car and run. She would be shot down like a dog. Even so, she found she couldn't remove her hand from the silver piece of metal that could allow her to try and escape. When the hoodie she was wearing rode up on her arm exposing her bracelet, she yanked it back down.

Noticing her abrupt movement, Hammer glanced over at her. "You are so tense. Relax. You came all of this way. Why don't I give you a tour of my new place?" He drove for another half a mile or so before turning into a lane that lead into an empty field.

Pepper tensed. Was he going to take her into a field and kill her? If he buried her body here, nobody would ever find it. Nobody would even think to look out here. As the car continued slowly forward down the grassy excuse for a road, that was when everything suddenly materialized into view in front of her. At the unexpected change of scenery, Pepper shot up straight in her seat. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she leaned forward taking it all in. An entire block of buildings stood in front of her eyes. Holy crap. Her mouth dropped open.

Hammer chuckled. "Cat got your tongue, Virginia? It is pretty spectacular. Isn't it? I've upgraded my tech since we've last talked."

He pulled the car up to the biggest of the buildings and shut off the ignition. Hammer was almost giddy with delight as he jogged around the front of the car to open her door. "Follow me. I will give you the grand tour." He seemed unusually cheery especially since the last time she had seen him years ago she had ordered the police be called on him. Just when she was thinking about making a run for it, another one of his men stepped up beside her. He didn't even try to hide the gun he was packing. Pepper swallowed thickly and barely avoiding lashing out at Hammer as he linked an arm with her. Her skin began to crawl. "Shall we?"

Stepping inside, Pepper could not believe what she was seeing. This place was a research facility. A hidden research facility. He lead her up and down countless hallways, pointing out all of the different types of research that was happening along the way. He even forced her into a few of the rooms to point out specific things his team was working on including a virus that could wipe out all of humanity but of course, he told her that only he had the cure. Pepper's insides twisted. This was worse than she could have imagined. Hammer had lost his freaking mind.

"Isn't this great?" Hammer patted the arm she had linked in his with his free hand. "My scientists and engineers have been doing research here the entire time I was in prison. I think my discoveries even rival those of Stark Industries. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I really should be going." Unlinking her arm from his, Pepper turned away but Hammer clamped a hand down on her shoulder, continuing to guide her forward down the hallway. She knew he wasn't just going to let her walk out of there but hey, it was worth a try.

"You can't leave yet. We haven't even gotten to the best part of the tour. I have one last thing to show you. Trust me. You're gonna love it."

She was in trouble. She was in so much trouble. Friday was right. She let jealousy override her common sense and now she was in for it. She wasn't just going to be able to walk away from this and because of her stupidity, both she and Tony could be done for.

Hammer stopped in front of an unmarked door at the end of the long hall, pausing to enter a code and press his thumb to the pad before the door in front of them opened. Before Pepper had time to take in her new surroundings, he shoved her through the doorway, causing her to stumble and fall to her knees.

"Pepper?!"

Oh my God. Her head snapped up when she heard the voice she longed to hear the most in the world speak her name. Tony. Her Tony was alive. Her heart leapt with joy but then her eyes fell on the woman who was currently straddling him as he sat on the edge of a bed. Her delight turned to anger.

Christine Everhart's mouth dropped open as she untangled herself from her place on Tony's lap in order to storm over toward Justin. "What the fuck is she doing here?"

"Good question, Christine! What in the fuck is she doing here?" Hammer asked but didn't allow her time to respond, throwing something directly at her feet. It bounced across the floor and stopped in front of her heels. "A tracker. You weren't careful and she tracked you here...that's why the fuck she is here. Even after I told you not to use the same car you drive every day to come here you still did it. Obviously you weren't careful like I told you to be."

"You really had to come in here now?" Christine didn't acknowledge Pepper's presence at all. Her sights were set on Hammer. And she was pissed. "You did know I was in the middle of something...didn't you?"

Hammer took a threatening step toward the blond. "No. No, you don't get to be upset about this. I'm upset. This is your slip up. Now I have to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with her. I wasn't planning on this. I don't have time for this right now."

Christine finally understood that Hammer meant business and tried to get her way by pouting. "Justin..."

But Hammer wasn't having it. "Playtime's over, Christine. Get out of here."

Christine gave Pepper a furious glare before stomping from the room.

Hammer shook his head, looking down at Pepper. "I'll be back once I figure out what I'm going to do with you."

"Pep..." Tony started as soon as the door closed, but he didn't get to finish what he was going to say because she had thrown herself on him, tackling him backward onto the bed.

"Tony," was the only thing she could bring herself to say as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hung on for dear life, pressing kisses to the side of his jaw, reveling in the familiar feel of his facial hair tickling her skin. The overpowering smell of Christine's perfume clinging to him made tears form in her eyes. How dare she try and mark him as if he belonged to her? Tony was hers. He was hers and she had gotten so close to losing him forever.

But he was here. He was alive. She just could not seem to get close enough to him, snuggling deeper into his embrace. At that moment, she was sure she could crawl under his skin and still feel too far away from him. That's it. She was never letting him out of her sight ever again. Ever. He was going to end up hating her because from now on he was going to every single one of her meetings, no matter how much he begged to be spared.

Tony buried his nose into her hair, his hands slipping under the back of her shirt to pull her tightly against him. "Pepper, you shouldn't be here. You're not suppose to be here. You're not safe here. You're not safe." There was a hint of anger buried within in his tone.

"Neither are you," Pepper whispered back just as fiercely. She knew Tony was upset with her, and she understood exactly where he was coming from but if he was in her shoes, he would have done the same thing. "I couldn't just leave you here with Justin and Christine."

Knowing there was no point in arguing with her, he shuddered out a sigh and kissed her hairline. "Does anybody know you are here?"

Pepper tensed. She knew he would not like what she was going to say next but there was no use lying to him. "No."

Tony pushed her away from his chest as he sat them both up. Running his hands through his hair, he let out a frustrated growl. "Fuck, Pep."

Pepper felt the need to defend herself. "Happy and Rhodey wouldn't have come anyway. They didn't believe you were still alive. They thought you were dead. I mean Friday was aware of where I was going..."

"Pepper." Her name was a growl on his lips.

"I'm sorry, Tony. I wasn't thinking," she admitted, letting her head fall against his chest as guilt began to seep into her every pore. Well, she was thinking but all she was thinking about Christine getting into his pants. That had been the only thing on her mind and it had made her throw restraint to the wind. Looking back on it, she was embarrassed at how impulsively she had reacted. She normally wasn't like that. Maybe she could blame it on the pregnancy hormones.

"Strange to have you admit that. I'm usually the one who doesn't think before reacting." He began to massage her arms from her shoulders downward. When his hands finally reached her wrists, his eyes went wide as he realized what she was wearing. He pulled back her sleeve, exposing her bracelet. "You have your suit!"

Pepper was saddened by how happy he sounded. She was about to stomp his hope out. "It doesn't work. My cell didn't either."

"Friday?" Tony asked and when the AI didn't respond, his face fell. "Shit. Hammer has definitely upped his technology game. There is some kind of interference messing with my tech. I wonder how far the reach is." And then Tony easily slipped into his manic engineer speak mode and Pepper knew she had lost him for awhile.

As Tony rambled on about Hammer's tech using words and phrases she did not even come close to understanding, Pepper finally took the time to survey his current condition. He didn't seem too worse for wear. Then again, he was the type who could just roll out of bed and look like a million bucks. He was a little scruffy and his hair a little messy but other than that, he was normal Tony. She couldn't see any obvious signs of injury. She was sure she looked a hell of a lot worse, and she hadn't been the one who had supposedly died in a plane crash. As he was wildly gesturing around as he did when he got into the zone, Pepper noticed the strange metallic cuffs on his wrists. "What are these?" she asked, interrupting him as she grabbed one of his arms to run her fingers over the surface of the metal.

Pepper's question pulled him back to reality and he stopped his rant. "Don't worry about it." He pulled her to him, refusing to answer her question. "It's not important."

Clearly it was because Tony was trying to avoid talking about it. It was likely something very important than he did not want her to worry about. "Tony..." Pepper tried using her warning tone to get him to answer. She knew he was trying to distract her.

"Pepper," Tony's voice held a playful edge as he kissed her below the ear in the place he knew made her forget her own name.

Pepper let out a squeak, involuntarily relaxing into his strong arms as he nuzzled her neck. She didn't push him any further, melting like butter in his arms. "I didn't relax," Pepper mumbled into his chest as if the topic change somehow made sense. But Tony knew exactly what she was talking about. He always did.

"I didn't make it to the meeting. Did you come here to strangle me?"

Pepper let out a short laugh that sounded more like a sob than anything else. "I missed you. I missed you so much. When I thought you were dead..." Pepper choked back her sob, clutching him even tighter as she remembered the numbness and how utterly lost she had felt thinking he was dead. "God, Tony. It destroyed me. I don't want to feel like that ever again. I'm not strong enough. I need you, Tony. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Pep. I'm still here." He kissed her forehead. "And you know I need you too. You know I can't function without you. I just wish you hadn't come because I can't protect you here, and you know you are the most important thing in the world to me. I can't lose you."

Pepper had taken to running the back of her hand up and down his cheek against his newly grown stubble and Tony was leaning into her touch. His eyes fluttered closed, a quiet moan escaping his lips as he savored the attention she was giving him. It was amazing how intimate a little bit of touching could be between them. It had always been that way and likely always would be. God, just adjusting his tie made her crazy with desire. Watching him practically purring underneath her touch made her keep the comment she wanted to say about his earlier statement to herself for a couple of minutes until eventually, it just flew out of her mouth.

"You know, if it had been me that was taken, you wouldn't have left me here."

Tony had closed his eyes until she made the comparison. Then they flew wide open. "That's different."

Pulling her hand away, Pepper narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "Oh really now? How exactly is it any different?"

Tony didn't have an answer for her because deep down, even though he would never admit it, he knew it really wasn't different. Not at all. Tony pouted, taking her hand in his and raising it back to his cheek. "Why'd you stop, Pep? I was enjoying that." He knew it drove her crazy when he pouted. That kissable bottom lip sticking out while he stared up at her through those thick eyelashes with those sparkly brown eyes...God. How had she been immune to his charm all of those years? The answer was she never really had been. She had just learned to suck it up and deal with how him looking at her a certain way made her feel. It had lead to many many days and nights of pure sexual frustration. She was glad she didn't have to hide it from him anymore and he rarely left her sexually frustrated because when he got her all worked up, she made him fix his mistake.

But now, looking at the raw vulnerability reflected in Tony's expression made her ask the question she had been wanting the answer to since he had been taken. She had to know. "Did she do anything to you?" Pepper couldn't even bring herself to say her name.

Tony seemed taken off guard by her question and immediately broke eye contact, rubbing nervously at the back of his neck.

"Tony?" He wouldn't respond to her. He wouldn't even look at her. That couldn't be good. Fear coiled in her belly, spilling out to envelop her body in a coldness that felt like it would never go away. What had that bitch done to him? Pepper pulled him against her, feeling how tight he was wound, running her hands up and down his back trying to sooth away the tightness of his muscles. "I'm sorry for asking. It's okay. Whatever happened, it's okay. It's not your fault. I'm here. It's okay. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." If something had happened, he had to know she didn't blame him. She would never blame him.

"Nothing happened yet. I mean, she kissed me but I didn't kiss her back," Tony admitted. "I mean, I only barely resisted the urge to bite her. Barely."

The second his confession left his lips, Pepper pushed him back to arm's length to meet his eyes. The fear she had been feeling was turning into something deeper. Something darker and out of control. Something primal. Tony was usually the one protecting her, protecting everyone else. It would shock a lot of people to find out that the famous Tony Stark actually put himself last instead of first. But the media only reflected one side of him. The side that sold the most papers, earned them the most website hits. The selfish, arrogant, drunken, playboy side. But Pepper knew better. That wasn't the real Tony Stark. It never had been although it did take Tony awhile to figure that out for himself. The fact that some woman was taking advantage of him, made her see red. "I'm going to kill her for touching you. She is a dead woman."

Tony's eyebrows shot up. He clearly wasn't use to seeing this side of her. "You know, Pep, you are so fucking hot when you're jealous. It's kinda turning me on and so is seeing you in my clothes. Who knew you could make a hoodie look so good?" With a lopsided grin, he leaned in and started kissing the side of her throat.

"Are you serious?" Pepper tried to sound upset but failed miserably when Tony found the sweet spot on her neck that he knew she liked. She moaned.

He chuckled lightly against her skin, knowing he had won when she shivered. "Just trying to lighten the mood, honey."

"Tony, you know we can't do anything." Once again, she was saying the words, but whether she actually meant them or not, she didn't know. Her hands wound into his hair pulling him tighter to her as she tilted her head to the side to give him better access to her throat. "We don't know when Hammer will be back, and I don't want him to see me naked." That much was true. Thinking about that smarmy jerk's eyes raking over her naked body made her physically ill. But Christine? Let that skank see her naked. Hell, part of Pepper wanted her to walk in when Tony was buried in her, moaning her name in the throws of their passion. This will never be you, ever again. Take that, bitch. Tony's hot breath, the feel of his lips and tongue and teeth on her almost completely dissolved her self restraint. It was hard to turn him down when he wanted her like this. She almost never did. He never once turned her down, not even when he came back from a mission as Iron Man hurt and exhausted and she would throw herself at him, needing him to prove to her that he was okay. Actually, those were some their most intense love making sessions. Minus the first time they were together. Now that had been spectacular.

"What are you thinking about, Pep?" Tony asked between kisses. "I can see the gears turning in your head."

"Just remembering the first time we made love," Pepper admitted.

Tony hummed with delight next to her ear. "I remember it like it was yesterday."

"Hammer tried to take you from me then too." Pepper shivered but not from pleasure.

Tony's arms tightened around her. "But he didn't and he won't this time either," he assured her and then to her surprise, he started to space and time, always another show. Wondering where I am, lost without you. And being apart ain't easy on this love affair. Two strangers learn to fall in love again. I get the joy of rediscovering you. Oh girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours, faithfully."

Oh my God. He was so not singing Journey to her right now. Pepper buried her face in his neck letting the tears come. Tony had the most beautiful baritone voice she had ever heard. She still could remember the first time he had ever sang to her after the first time they made love. It had shocked the shit out of her because in all of her years as his PA, she had never once heard him sing before. She had cried like a baby then too.

He wiped the tears from her eyes with the pads of his thumbs before leaning in to nuzzle her nose with his own. "It's true. I'm yours, Potts. Forever. No matter how many miles may span between us, you are never far away because you have my heart. Always remember that."

Pepper wanted to say something back because God, that was one of the most freaking romantic things he had ever said to her but her throat closed up and all she could do was cling to him and cry.

"I'll figure a way to get us out of here, Pep. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"Well, isn't that just precious?"

They had been so wrapped up in each other's presence they hadn't even noticed that Hammer had entered the room until he had spoken. He was not alone. He had two of his men with him and one of them Pepper immediately recognized as one of the new member's of Happy's security team. She should have been shocked at the revelation but it really didn't come as much of a surprise. Hammer had to have had people on the inside to get to Tony the way he did.

Tony immediately situated himself between Pepper and the room's new occupants, trying his damnedest to shield her from whatever they had planned.

Hammer clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Is this how we are going to play it, Anthony? We both know how this ends. I'm not leaving her here with you. You don't get that privilege."

Pepper had a firm grip on one of Tony's arms. She wasn't going to let him go. She couldn't let him go or she would lose him. She couldn't lose him again. Without glancing back at her, Tony reached out and grabbed onto her other arm and gave it a squeeze.

"Move away from her, Stark. You have five seconds," Hammer said.

Pepper felt the muscles in Tony's arm tense up at Hammer's warning. "Tony?"

"Four seconds..."

"Tony, what is he going to do?"

"Three seconds..."

Tony made a strangled sound Pepper had never heard him make before, a cross between a sob and a growl before spinning to face her. She could see the despair reflected in those big brown eyes she loved so much. He grabbed her face between his large hands and kissed her. Really kissed her. Pepper was shocked at the amount of raw emotion he poured into that one single kiss. His mouth covered hers. Pepper felt his tears on her cheeks. He was saying goodbye. No.

"One second. You might want to pull away from her. Now."

Pepper gasped when Tony shoved her away from him with more force than he had ever used on her before. It shocked her to the core her because he was always gentle with her. Always, well, except sometimes when they were in bed but that was a different story. Before Pepper could ask him what he was doing, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell off the bed, writhing around on the floor, not in control of his own movements. Pepper gasped as she realized what was happening. Hammer was electrocuting him. No wonder Tony didn't want her to know what the cuffs were for.

Pepper was off the bed in a beat and kneeling on the floor next to Tony who had finally stopped twitching and was now deathly still. His eyes were closed. There was blood running out of the corner of his mouth where he had bitten his tongue. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Pepper shouted at Hammer before her eyes darted back down to her fiance. She laid her head on Tony's chest, letting out the breath she had been holding in when she felt it rise and fall. His heartbeat was strong underneath her hand. Oh, thank God. "Tony?!"

"Take her."

At Hammer's words, Pepper wrapped her arms around Tony, refusing to let go. No. They couldn't take her away from him. She couldn't lose him. Not again. She wasn't strong enough. She wouldn't be able to bear it. Pepper's eyes went wide with fear as she felt someone grab her under the arms, yanking her away from Tony and to her feet even as she struggled against him. "Tony!" Pepper managed to get off a swing and hit the man in the face but he barely even flinched. Not that she expected him to with a heavy jaw like that. And then she felt a pinprick of pain in the side of her neck and suddenly her body felt extremely heavy. Her knees gave out but she was held up by a pair of strong hands. She couldn't move. Her head lolled uselessly against her chest. She couldn't even scream and the terror of it all was making it difficult for her to breath.

"Don't panic." Hammer lifted her chin with a hand to establish eye contact with her. "It is completely safe. The serum paralyzes your muscles just like it does during REM sleep. You will be able to breathe but not move."

By this time, Tony had partially recovered and was trying to push himself up off the floor as he blinked away the disorientation from his eyes. God. Pepper wished she could say something, anything to him. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to him. "Please," Tony whispered as he tried to vain to stand, reaching out to her. "Don't. Don't do this. Don't..."

The door slammed on whatever Tony had been about to say. Hammer stood between her and the door. It seemed like there was a touch of sadness in his eyes. When he reached out and traced her jawline, she couldn't do anything but watch him, wanting so badly to recoil or smack the shit out of him. "You know, it's too bad really. It's too bad you just couldn't seem to get over the death of your fiance and took your own life. You had so much to live for. You're pregnant with twins, I hear? You really should have thought about your children. Blake, drive her car out to the unfinished bridge. Mac, follow behind and when the deed is done, both of you get back here. We are moving Stark to the other location. Tonight. "

No. Pepper thought. Oh no. Please. They were going to kill her and once they killed her Tony would be Hammer's prisoner forever because who would know to look for a dead man? The big man flung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and began to walk down the hall toward the exit. He was surprisingly gentle when he sat her into the passenger's seat of her car. He even buckled her in. What the hell was the point of that? They were going to kill her anyway. Her eyes were focused out the windshield in front of her. She heard the door slam and then a few seconds later, the Stark Industries phony situated himself in the driver's seat.

So this was Blake. "Is the temperature okay? Want the air on or something?"

Is he being serious right now? He was asking her if she was comfortable and in a few minutes, she would be dead. What did it matter? Blake drove away from the facility, away from Tony, and Pepper whimpered in her mind. She messed up. She had messed this up so badly. And now she was dead. She was dead and Tony was going to be Christine's sex slave and Rhodes and Happy would think that she had killed herself because she couldn't deal with her grief of losing Tony. There was no happy ending here for anyone.

It didn't take long for Blake to drive them to the place Hammer spoke of. Blake turned the car onto a road clearly marked with a sign that read,"road closed to through traffic" and "bridge out." The car climbed up the steep hill and suddenly stopped at the top.

Blake got out of the vehicle and walked around to her door, opening it and picked her up like she weighed nothing, cradling her limp body in his arms as he made his way around to the other side of the idling car. He set her down in the driver's seat, sitting her gently back in the seat when she started to slump over the steering wheel. "You want some music? Yeah, let's give you some music. It's only right." He leaned over her and turned on the radio. What was with this guy? He was seriously going to put on music for her to listen to while she died? When Elton John filled the car, his dark eyes actually lit up with glee. "I love this song." He turned it up as loud as it could possibly go and began to sing along.

Blue jean baby, L.A. lady, seamstress for the band

Pretty eyed, pirate smile, you'll marry a music man

Ballerina, you must have seen her dancing in the sand

And now she's in me, always with me, tiny dancer in my hand

Now, if Pepper hadn't been in the situation she was in and about to die, she would have been amused by a giant intimidating man singing along to an Elton John song. His voice wasn't half bad, not as good as Tony's but hey, she was a little bias after all.

"Wait, what station is this? I'm listening to this on the way back. You comfortable? Oh." He lifted her lifeless hands and stuck her wrists in the steering wheel. "There. Much better." Once he figured out the station, he shifted the car from park into neutral and backed away singing along with the music before slamming the door, leaving her alone.

Pepper focused on the hill sloping down in front of her. There wasn't anything else she could do. It was steep and at the bottom was the beginnings of a bridge. The mere beginnings of one and then it abruptly ended where construction had not yet been completed. The car began to roll.

Jesus freaks out in the street

Handing tickets out for God

Turning back she just laughs

The boulevard is not that bad

Piano man he makes his stand

In the auditorium

Looking on she sings the songs

The words she knows, the tune she hums

The car was rolling steadily now picking up speed as the barrier drew closer and closer. Come on, Friday. Come on, come on, come on. Please. Please. Please. I need you. Please. Tony had asked a good question earlier. How far was the reach of Hammer's tech? It obviously extended out beyond his property but by how much that was the question. Unfortunately, she was about to find out.

But oh how it feels so real

Lying here with no one near

Only you and you can hear me

When I say softly, slowly

Friday! Any second the car was going to plummet over the edge and God. There was no way she would survive the impact. She failed. She failed Tony. She failed herself. She failed her babies. At least she wouldn't likely feel a thing. It would be a fast death. The car couldn't have been more than ten feet away from crashing through the barrier when her bracelet began to glow. Friday?

Hold me closer tiny dancer

Count the headlights on the highway

Lay me down in sheets of linen

You had a busy day today

"Boss Lady?" Friday sounded urgent but Pepper couldn't reply. She couldn't do a damn thing but watch as she hurtled toward her own death. As the car smashed through the barrier, she felt the strange sensation as the nanites spread out over her skin. It only took a few seconds and she was fully encased in her suit. The moon roof shattered as she shot up out of the car seconds before it crashed into the ground hundreds of feet below. "Miss Potts, can you hear me?" Friday asked.

Pepper couldn't say anything. She literally couldn't make a sound because her vocal chords were paralyzed but even if they hadn't been, the shock of being so close to dying likely wouldn't have allowed her to speak anyway.

Friday landed her safely up on the hill, off to the side of the road in a grassy area, lying her down on her back. The other car now containing both of Hammer's men was gone. She was alone. "I have contacted Colonel Rhodes. He is on the way. Please try and relax. You are safe now. I have scanned you and the serum causing your paralysis seems to have no negative effects on either you or your babies and should wear off within the hour."

If Pepper could have cried she would have. Staring up at the night sky, she couldn't do anything but breathe. She was safe. The babies were safe but Tony...Tony wasn't. They were going to move him and if they did, she would never be able to find him. She would lose him forever. Hurry, Jim. Please, hurry. With absolutely nothing else to do but worry, she began to count the stars.


	17. Chapter 17

It had taken Tony quite some time to fully recover after the last round of electrocution. Hammer seemed to have upped the voltage because he now had nasty electrical burns on his wrists and ankles that throbbed in time with his pulse. The metallic cuffs rubbing against them was enough to make him grit his teeth in pain. He could have sworn his heart had stopped beating during the torture too although that may not have been from the physical shock but from the fact they had drugged Pepper and taken her away from him.

He couldn't believe Pepper, his Pepper, had actually shown up here of all places. Not that she wasn't an intelligent, capable person but because well, he figured he would figure it out and get out before anyone else was able to find him. Maybe he wasn't the genius he thought he was. And now, Pepper was a prisoner just like him. Pepper and his babies were prisoners and in very real danger. He had to get them out of there and fast.

"Open this fucking door, Hammer!" Tony snarled so loudly his own voice rang in his ears as he pounded his fists violently on the metal. In the end he knew it was useless, and he was only wasting his strength because they couldn't hear him but he couldn't just sit there and do nothing. Not when they had Pepper. He couldn't let anything happen to her. It would kill him. After the Vanko incident at the Expo years back, Hammer had promised to make Pepper pay for turning him into the police, and Tony knew that had not been an idle threat. He would do it. He would hurt her and not think twice about it especially when hurting her would in turn hurt Tony. "Where the hell did you take Pepper? Hammer! Goddammit! Answer me now!"

To his surprise, the door did open. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't Hammer who entered but the man who had given him the beating of his life earlier. The man who had been hired by Stark Industries as protection. The man who had helped take Pepper away from him. Blake.

Tony should have felt threatened by the sheer size of this man. That along with the fact that he had just beat the living shit out of him not long before but having his mind go through all of the things that currently could be happening to his beloved fiancee drove him forward even against his own common sense and into Blake's personal space. "What did you do to Pepper?"

Blake didn't blink. Didn't even flinch. He just shrugged halfheartedly, obviously not at all intimidated by Tony. "Just took her for a little drive is all." The smile that soon appeared on the man's face...Tony did not like that smile at all. He did not trust that smile. There was something hidden underneath it. Something dark. Something twisted. "She needed some air. I gave her some. Plenty of it in fact."

His strange words made Tony's hackles go up. "What the fuck is that suppose to mean?" God did he wish he had his Iron Man suit so he could blast this guy through the wall.

Blake smiled at him in response, taking a step forward so he was actually looming down over him. "Looks like you healed up quite nicely from our little encounter earlier. How are you feeling, short stuff?"

Wait a second. Did this guy just call him short stuff? Oh, hell no. Now Tony was pissed. Not only was this asshole trying to rub in the fact he kicked the shit out of him but he was trying to make him feel small and insignificant. His height was something he did not like people joking about. "I'm feeling just fucking peachy. Now answer my question, where is Pepper, you worthless piece of..." He wasn't able to finish his insult because Blake wrapped an oversized hand around his throat, cutting off his voice and breath as he lifted him off his feet and pinned him against the wall as if he weighed nothing.

"You are in no place to ask questions or make threats," Blake said matter-of-factly. There was no anger apparent in his deep voice and maybe that was the scariest thing of all, Tony thought to himself as he clawed helplessly at the hands around his neck that were currently squeezing the life out of him. They didn't loosen. Not in the slightest. "I'm suppose to get your ass on the plane. Doesn't matter how I get you there. I can take you there awake or I can pound you into unconsciousness. What would you prefer?"

Tony tried to speak but was unable to make any sort of sound with those crazy ass strong hands around his throat. Oh yeah. He was definitely going to have bruising from this.

"What was that?" Blake asked raising his brows.

Seconds away from slipping into unconsciousness, Tony pointed to his throat, trying to get his point across.

Blake understood and immediately dropped Tony onto his own feet, stepping away to give him a bit of space as if he suddenly was being courteous. "What were you saying?"

For several long seconds, Tony stayed bent over at the waist, hands gripping his thighs as he inhaled deep breaths, filling his lungs to full capacity with sweet, sweet oxygen. He noticed Blake was waiting for whatever he was going to say with an unnatural amount of patience, which was a little unnerving to say the least. Finally, when Tony was able to breathe normally again, he stood up straight as a board, looked him directly in the eyes before cocking his fist back and punching him right in the face, sending Blake's head snapping back. To his credit, the larger man did stagger a bit but didn't go down. When Blake recovered, wiping a tiny bit of blood from his now split lip and took a step toward Tony, he knew he was in for it.

Worth it, Tony thought to himself as Blake's fist connected with his temple again and again as the giant man held him against the wall, and he spiraled into unconsciousness.

The first thing that registered to him on his way back to awareness was the fact he was comfy. A little too comfy in fact. When you are someone's prisoner, the last thing you should be is comfortable. The second thing he realized was his skin was covered in goosebumps. Why was he so damn cold? When he was finally able to open his eyes, he discovered the answers to both of those questions. He was handcuffed in the middle of a King-sized bed, surrounded by pillows, wearing only a pair of tight boxer briefs. Well, at least the e-cuffs were gone although he was almost positive he would prefer the e-cuffs to whatever the hell was about to happen to him. He must be on the plane. Shit.

"Don't struggle so much. You'll only hurt yourself." Christine seemed to appear out of nowhere and lowered herself onto the bed next to him. She was wearing a fluffy pink robe wrapped around her slender form. Tony was almost one-hundred percent sure he would not like what was hidden underneath. "I already had to heal you once in the past hour. I'm never letting Blake touch you again."

Ah. That's why he didn't feel like complete and utter shit after Blake destroyed him for the second time in a short time period. Christine had used the nano-tech to heal his injuries. Okay, even he had to admit that technology was pretty damn impressive. In fact, under normal circumstances he would be asking more questions about it, craving to know every little thing he could but at the moment, there was only one thing of importance to Tony. Nothing else mattered to him but one person. "Where...is...Pepper?" He shouted, enunciating every word as he pulled hard against the restraints. "What did you do with her?"

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." Christine almost pulled off sounding as sorry as she said she was as she reached out to gently brush the hair from his forehead, a familiar gesture that he often found Pepper doing to him. When Pepper did it, it was the best thing in the world. He melted into her touch, craving more. When Christine did it, it made him shiver and not in a good way. He turned his head from her and cringed away in disgust when she continued to play with his hair, knowing there was nothing he could do to get away. "She's dead."

Her blunt words made him turn his head back toward her. He narrowed his dark eyes, studying her face as he tried to read her. His anger flared. No one was allowed to say that about Pepper. No one. "Don't bullshit me, Everhart! Don't you dare say that about Pepper. Don't you talk about her at all!"

Christine frowned, finally pulling her hand away from his hair and placing it into her lap. "I'm not lying, Tony. I'm telling you the truth. Justin had her killed back when we were still at the compound. He was going to continue to lie to you and use her to try and manipulate you to make the weapons he wanted but I thought it was better to tell you the truth. I want you to trust me. He never planned on her finding you. It was never in his well-laid plans. When she did, he wasn't prepared for it. He didn't want to have to deal with trying to control both her and you so he had his men kill her. They put her in a car and drove her over a cliff. Virginia Potts is dead."

Her words hit Tony like a freight train, running him down where he stood, smashing his body into the tracks until nothing was left. No. No. No, Pepper was not dead. She wasn't. Pepper Potts couldn't be dead. Everhart had to be lying to him. She had to be. Tony shook his head as if shaking it hard enough would make everything she said untrue, and then...then he remembered what Blake had said earlier about Pepper. He had taken her for a drive to get some air. Plenty of air. And that smile. The wicked smile he had given him. His stomach rolled, bile rising in his throat when the meaning of the man's cryptic words finally hit him. Oh God. His throat tightened. Oh my fucking God. He couldn't breathe. He had killed her. Blake had killed her. His Pepper was dead.

Christine's hand reached out to grip his chin and force him to make eye contact. "Tony, I want you to know I had nothing to do with her being killed. I know she was pregnant. I'm so sorry. I truly am."

Tony felt numb. Pepper, the love of his life, was dead. She was dead, and it was all his fault. Nothing would be okay ever again.

"I'll be right back, okay? I'll give you some time alone to process this." And as Christine Everhart sashayed from the room, the only thing Tony could do was sob. What the hell was he suppose to do now that he had lost the one thing he couldn't live without?


	18. Chapter 18

Pepper couldn't tell how long it was that she laid on the ground, but eventually she began to feel a slight tingling in her fingers, toes and the tip of her tongue. It was a pleasant feeling because not being able to feel anything had been utterly terrifying. Hopefully it wouldn't be long before she could move because she had to get to Tony. Luckily for her, Friday had done her a favor by removing her helmet because feeling the wind on her face helped her feel less claustrophobic.

"Holy shit, Pepper!" Rhodes was bending over her now, donning his War Machine armor. "What in the hell is going on? What happened?"

"Rhodey," Pepper groaned, finding her voice once again. It felt like she hadn't spoken in days.

Rhodes' face plate flipped up as he knelt down next to her, reaching out to gently touch her face. "We gotta get you to a hospital."

"No," Pepper's voice was stronger now. She managed to shake her head slowly back and forth to try and drive home her point. There was no way in hell Rhodes was going to get her to leave. Not without Tony. "No, hospital." Testing her muscles, Pepper slowly sat up, accepting Rhodes' help when he reached out and offered her his hands. Her legs were shaky and unstable but Rhodes held her up.

Rhodes' worked his jaw as he stared down at her, obviously frustrated with her stubbornness. "God, Tony really rubbed off on you, didn't he with his aversion to hospitals? Pepper, you need help. You tried to kill yourself!"

Pepper's mouth dropped open at his statement. He honestly believed she was trying to kill herself? Didn't he know her at all? Angry at the conclusion he had drawn about her intentions, Pepper shoved him back a step, almost going down herself in the process. When he tried to reach out to steady her, she backed away out of his grasp. "You actually believe I would try and kill myself? I'm pregnant with Tony's babies. If I was trying to kill myself, why would I wear my bracelet when Friday's programming would force her to intervene and stop me? And why would I feel the need to inject myself in the back of the neck with a paralytic beforehand? If I really wanted to die, I would not have come all the way out here. I just would have offed myself back at the compound."

"She does make valid points," Friday chimed in before Rhodes had a chance to speak. "I do not believe her intention was to kill herself. It appears she was indeed injected with a paralytic compound that I am currently analyzing. I have never seen anything like it before."

"Believe me now?" Hands on her hips, Pepper was openly glaring at him, daring him to try and argue with her.

"Look, Pepper, I was worried about you, okay? What are you doing way out here anyway?"

There was no point in lying. "I found Tony." From the expression on his face, Pepper knew Rhodes was about to butt in but she pushed on before could start. "Tell him, Friday. Tell him I found Tony."

"I cannot," Friday replied.

Pepper furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you mean you cannot?"

"I have been offline for almost two hours. I cannot confirm nor deny if you did indeed find, Mr. Stark."

Pepper sighed. "How convenient."

"Pepper..."

Temper suddenly flaring to life, Pepper pointed a warning finger in Rhodes' face. "Don't you dare start in on me. I saw him, Rhodey. I was with him less than an hour ago. Justin Hammer was there with Christine Everhart..."

"Pepper..."

He wasn't going to listen to her. He had already made up his mind about her being crazy. He was just going to keep interrupting her and every time he did, it was only wasting time. If they waited too long, Tony would disappear for good. "Just shut up and let me finish for once, James. Please!" Rhodes was shocked to silence. Even Pepper was startled at the amount of anger she had directed at him so she backed off a little. "Look, Hammer's facility is not that far from here. If I'm wrong and you are right, I'll let you personally lock me up and throw away the key..."

Turning away from her, it was Rhodes' turn to sigh. "You know I don't want that."

"And if I'm right," she pressed on, "if I'm right, then we call the cavalry and send them in. Just give me a chance to prove him not crazy." She reached out and latched onto one of his arms, drawing his attention back to her. Her voice softened another several notches. She had to reach him. She just had to because if he didn't believe her, she didn't know what she would do. "Come on, Rhodey. I'm begging you. Please. Please do this for me. For Tony."

Rhodes sighed more loudly this time and she knew she had won. "Fine. Don't make me regret this, Pepper."

Pepper couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Trust me. You won't."

"You are aware that if you go back, you will be unable to communicate with the outside world or with me," Friday reminded her as they began the journey back. "I recommend leaving your armor on for protection because once you are inside, you won't be able to call for it. You must locate where the interference is coming from and shut it down if you wish to restore communication with me. Good luck."

As they made their way back toward Hammer's facility, Pepper took Friday's advice, leaving her suit on but left her face exposed so she could still talk to Rhodes when the communication link failed. "Friday?" Friday was suddenly silent. They were close now. It wasn't more than ten more feet and the facility shimmered back into view.

"Holy shit..." Rhodes' whispered under his breath, coming to a complete stop.

Pepper turned to face him, a slight smile appearing on her face at his apparent shock. "Told ya. I still can't believe Hammer has access to this kind of tech. I need to find out who he has working for him." Rhodes was still trying to process what had happened because he was slack jaw and staring at the unbelievable sight in front of him. That's when Pepper heard the roar of engines, drawing her attention skyward. She saw the shimmering the outline of a plane for several seconds before it disappeared. For a moment, she thought she had only been imagining things then she remembered they had said they were moving Tony. She inhaled sharply as panic gathered in her chest making it hard for her to breathe. He was on that plane. He had to be.

"Rhodey!" Needing him to respond to her quickly, Pepper grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. There wasn't time for them to dawdle. If she lost Tony, she would never be able to live with herself. "Rhodey, are you with me?" Her hand moved to grip his chin, possibly a little too hard because he flinched slightly but it was hard to gauge grip strength while in her suit. "I need to go after that plane. Tony is on it. I know he is. You need to get inside and disable whatever interference Hammer is using to shield his tech otherwise I won't be able to get Tony his suit. Do you understand?"

Rhodes was finally starting to respond to her. "Pepper..."

Pepper pressed on. "And do it without blowing up the place. There is a virus in there capable of destroying life as we know it, and we don't want to cause the zombie apocalypse by being careless."

Rhodes' eyes went wide, and he blinked at her stupidly. "What? What?!"

"I have to go now. Once you figure out how to disable the interference, you will be able to talk with me. I can't let the plane go or I might lose Tony for good. You've got this right?" Pepper asked pointing at him as she began to back away.

Rhodes had his hands turned up in front of him in helplessness, coming across as a little lost puppy, not as a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force. "What? No. No, I don't got this! Pepper!"

But Pepper didn't have time to explain further. Rhodes was smart. He would figure it out. Without another word, she turned and sprinted as fast as was humanly possible while decked out in a full armored suit. She needed to get back out of the range of Hammer's tech to get it to work. She needed Friday's help to try and locate the plane. She couldn't lose it. She just couldn't. Cursing loudly to herself while calling out for Friday, she began to lose hope. How far did the inference stretch? Oh God. Why did she think she could save Tony? She wasn't a superhero. She was going to lose him forever, and it was going to be all her fault. She was out of breath, her lungs and muscles burning from overexertion and close to collapsing when she screamed out for Friday one last time as the tears threatened to overtake her.

"Yes, Boss Lady."

The wetness in her eyes immediately dissolved at the sound of the AI's voice. Yes! Yes! Yes! She almost did a happy dance but then remember she needed to stay composed. "Friday, I need you to locate the plane that just took off not far this area a few moments ago."

"I am unable to locate any air crafts in the vicinity. It seems as though it is using stealth tech to cover its flight path..." Pepper's shoulders drooped in defeat until Friday continued, "However, I am tracking a heat signature that is consistent with that of an aircraft." The nanites went to work quickly encasing her entire head. Pepper turned her eyes to the sky, and she could see the path of the "invisible jet" marked in red inside of her HUD.

A smile spread across Pepper's face. "Friday, have I told you lately that I love you?"

The AI was silent for several seconds, obviously not knowing how to respond or if she should. "No, I don't believe you have ever told me that you love me."

Amused that she had clearly flustered the AI, Pepper chuckled. "Well, I do. Now let's go get Tony." Within seconds, she was airborne and rocketing toward the almost undetectable plane. Okay, so flying in this thing wasn't that bad. She may even be able to eventually like it. Though she didn't know if she would tell Tony that or not. The heat signature was growing more prominent on her screen. It wouldn't be long now, and she would be able to try and figure out a way inside and...a loud explosion sounding far to close to her caused her to yelp in fear. Her eyes darted around wildly, trying to figure out what was going on. "Friday, what was that?"

"That was a missile," she said simply.

Pepper's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"It appears the air craft is equipped with weapons and knows our current location."

Holy crap. She was actually getting shot at and by freakin' missiles at that. Was this what Tony felt like when he went on missions? It definitely did not make her feel any better about him being Iron Man. "Well, okay. Guess I fire back then?" It was more of a question than anything else. She didn't know what the heck she was suppose to do.

"You don't have any weapons."

Pepper was confused. "Excuse me?"

"While the repulsors can be used as weapons when not being used for flight, Mr. Stark built your suit as more of a rescue suit than anything else. He figured you wouldn't be comfortable operating a weapon of mass destruction," Friday explained.

While under normal circumstances Tony would have been one-hundred percent correct, right now having missiles shot at her made her wish she had an armory at her disposal. Getting shot out of the sky did not seem like a good way to die.

Another explosion filled her ears and she felt a jolt. When the screen blanked out for a moment before booting up once again, she couldn't help but cry out. "Friday, what the hell just happened?"

"You were hit. The nanobots had to reconfigure themselves to complete your suit."

For being hit by a missile, she was shocked at little she had actually felt. The suit absorbed the impact pretty well. "How many hits can I take in this thing?"

"With those type of missiles, two maybe three before there are not enough nanobots left to rebuild the suit."

Pepper had to ask the question even though she was sure she already knew the answer. "And then what?"

"And then you fall from the sky."

Pepper held in the scream she wanted to let out. That's exactly what she had already thought would happen. Awesome. But she couldn't focus on that. She had to focus on getting to Tony. She couldn't allow her fear to consume her. She had to stay strong for Tony.

When she saw the view in front of her change, she squinted in confusion. Wait just a second. Were her eyes deceiving her or was the air craft in front of her shimmering into view? Did that mean...

"Pepper? Pepper, can you hear me?"

Rhodes' voice in her ears was like music to her ears. "You did it, Rhodey."

"Yeah, I had to threaten to blow a few heads off but I got someone to turn off the shields. There is some crazy-ass shit going down here, Pepper."

A laugh escaped her lips as she rolled her eyes. "You don't know how true that is? Are you coming my way now? I could use the back up." That was not a lie. She really really could. After all, Rhodes was War Machine. If anyone could give her a hand, he could. He had weapons galore. But then before she could hear what his reply was, it felt like her eardrums were exploding and everything went black.

"Pepper?! Pepper?! Are you there?"

Rhodes' terrified voice in her ears was what brought her back around. What the hell had happened? She could taste the coppery tang of blood in her mouth. Oh shit. She had to have been hit again, and she hadn't even seen it coming. Now she was hurting and badly at that. There was a constant throbbing pain in her back and legs. The screen in front of her eyes was cracked down the middle and an alarm was sounding. It was annoying as hell.

"Miss Potts, the suit cannot withstand another hit. The injuries to your person is minor but the damage to the suit is major. You must get inside the carrier now."

Pepper pushed through the pain, her entire focus was now on getting inside. The explosion had happened close enough to the carrier that it had created a hole in the bottom near the landing gear. That was her ticket in. The hole was large enough where she was able to maneuvered inside without too much difficulty. When she landed on her own two feet, she found herself surrounded by stacks upon stacks of crates and boxes. She was in the cargo holding area.

When the her helmet disappeared, she finally looked down at herself to survey the damage. Her suit was beyond battered. The upper part of her chest and shoulders were exposing the clothes she had on underneath. Her right arm was still covered in armor up to her elbow. Her loose hair whipped around her face driven by the wind.

"I do not have enough nanites at my disposal to complete any more of your armor. I reconfigured it to focus on protecting your offspring so I left the lower part of your suit on."

Her hands went to cover her armored belly in a protective manner. Why did she suddenly want to cry? Okay, so maybe she was really starting to like Tony's AI. "Thanks, Friday."

"Boss Lady, you have incoming in five seconds."

Reality check. Shit. She raised her right hand in a defensive stance waiting for her shot. At least she had one repulsor at her disposal.

And into her sights strode the man who had buckled her into her car and left her for dead. Blake. His gun was drawn, and unlike her, he didn't hesitate to fire. His shot grazed her right cheek and lodged into the crate next to her. Shrapnel exploded outward, tiny slivers of wood piercing the soft skin on the side of Pepper's face, barely missing her eye. She yelped in pain and panic, using her armed hand to swipe at the freshly embedded splinters of wood. This had obviously been his plan all along. When her attention was diverted, Blake surged forward, clearing the space between them in seconds. Before she knew what had happened, the man's fist connected with her face. She actually saw stars as she tumbled backward onto her butt. He was on her before she could fully recover, his giant hands going around her throat and squeezing until black dots danced in front of her eyes. Her lungs were on fire. He was stronger and bigger than her. She was going to die here. She was going to die here and Tony, Tony would be a prisoner to Justin Hammer and Christine Everhart until the day he died.

If she could have sobbed, she would have. Her hands scraped uselessly at his arms, trying to get him to release his grasp. It was then she realized...her right arm was free. Seconds before was sure she would pass out, she firmly placed her right palm against his chest and fired. The blast knocked Hammer's henchman backward in the general direction of the hole, and by some miracle, he was sucked out of the plane and out of sight.

Most of Pepper wanted to feel bad about his fate, but she found she really wasn't bothered much at all. After all, he had tried to kill her. Twice. And he had helped take Tony from her. The moment he did that, he sealed his own fate. Even though her head was spinning from his blow and the general lack of oxygen, she stumbled to her feet, still unsteady and trying desperately to recover as she fumbled her way forward. Slowly but surely, she made her way past the stacks of boxes and finally through a door which to her relief, sealed securely behind her. At least this new room was pressurized and everything wasn't blowing around. It was much easier for her to breathe now. "Friday, where is Tony?" she panted.

"He is in the next room. Suit incoming in five minutes."

Pepper took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she may find as she put her unarmored hand on the handle and opened the door.


	19. Chapter 19

At the sound of the door opening, Tony squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head away, not bothering to muffle the sorrow filled sobs that racked his body. It had to be Christine. Christine who had come back to finally have her way with him. Not that it mattered anymore what she did to him. Pepper was dead. Nothing mattered. Let her do whatever she wanted. He didn't have any fight left in him. A world without Pepper Potts in it was not worth fighting for, wasn't even worth living in.

"Tony!"

Oh God. Now he was hearing her voice as if she was right there next to him. As if she hadn't been torn away from him before her time. What did he do to deserve to be tortured like this? He knew he wasn't a good man by any means but he didn't think he did anything to justify being tortured by hearing the love of his life's voice for the rest of his life when he could never hold her in his arms.

"Tony! Oh my God!" That beautiful voice he loved so much was closer now. It was crystal clear as if she was only mere inches away and not unreachable like he knew she was. He was never going to open his eyes ever again. If he opened his eyes, it would confirm the voice was only in his head. At least now he could imagine she was there with him.

The bed moved slightly, and he felt a soft hand on his face, stroking his cheek to his chin before retracting. The touch was oh-so-familiar but it couldn't be her. It just wasn't possible. Even so, he almost whimpered at the sudden lack of contact. He heard Pepper's voice curse followed by a drawer opening. Someone was likely rummaging through the nightstand next to the bed. Tony was confused at what the person was doing until his arms fell to his sides. Someone had unlocked his cuffs. Once again he felt that same hand stroke his face almost tenderly before turning his head. "Anthony Edward Stark, open your eyes now."

Oh, who was he kidding? Even if he really wanted, he knew he couldn't keep his eyes shut forever. Might as well just deal with the disappointment now and try to get over it. As his tear filled eyes opened and focused in on the person beside him, his next sob caught in his throat before escaping. Either he was fully hallucinating now or she really was here with him. He couldn't believe it. His Pepper was alive.

Her blue eyes were wide with worry as she intently studied him, taking in his current condition. Her hands cupped his face, wiping away his tears with the pads of her thumbs."What happened? Did Christine touch you again? God, if she touched you, I'm breaking her face again."

"Pepper!" Finally regaining control over his body, Tony shot up straight in bed, throwing his arms around her, gathering the one person he couldn't live without tightly against his chest as he buried his face into her red hair. Even though she was here with him, he couldn't stop shaking. He was trembling so hard his teeth were chattering together. "I thought I lost you. I thought you were dead. The car. They told me about the car. God, Pep." He thought he was done crying but having her here in his arms and realizing how close he had been to losing her forever made the tears start up again. Tony Stark usually wasn't one to cry but Pepper always managed to draw out his emotional side.

Pepper held his quaking body against her fiercely, bordering on possessively as she ran a hand up and down his back to try and soothe him. Her nose nuzzling into the side of his neck helped calm him, reminded him to breathe. "Oh, Tony. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm here."

She was there, actually there. He thought he would never see her again. Never feel her arms around him. Never bury his face in her hair. Never feel the love she had for him. When Tony finally composed himself enough to pull away, it was then he noticed the state of disarray Pepper's suit was in and immediately switched over into concerned fiance mode. "What the hell happened to you?"

Pepper looked down at herself as if she had somehow forgotten she was wearing a badly damaged suit. "Oh, I got hit by a couple of missiles but I'm fine."

Tony was so shocked by her admission, he couldn't find the words he wanted to say. Missiles? Pepper had been hit by freaking missiles? "Wh-what?"

"Yeah. This aircraft is equipped with missiles. I'm betting it's how they brought down the plane after they smuggled you off of it." One of Pepper's hands helped to close Tony's mouth which had still been hanging open. She patted his cheek lovingly. "Now you know what I go through when you go on your missions. Turnabout is fair play, Mr Stark."

Even though she did have a point, Tony frowned. He didn't like thinking about her being put in harm's way because of him. Then his eyes moved up to her face and that's when he noticed the black eye starting to form and the nasty bleeding cut to her nose. "What about your face? You got a nasty shiner, Potts." His fingers gently moved over the injuries near her eye. "You get in a boxing match with someone?"

Pepper flinched slightly under his touch. "Blake punched me before I blasted him. I think I fared better than he did since he is probably still falling. Wonder how long it takes to fall 35,000 feet."

Tony could only blink at her in awe. "Jesus. Remind me never to mess with you again. You play dirty, Pep."

He expected her to quip back to continue their normal banter but she only stared deeply into his eyes with a fierceness that made him swallow his next playful line. "When it comes to your safety. Yes. Yes. I do play dirty. Nobody messes with my man and gets away with it. You should know that."

Tony swallowed thickly, arousal gathering in his stomach. Possessive Pepper Potts was so fucking hot. And oh, how he did know. He knew from personal experience how protective she could be. He remembered the way she saved his ass from Killian. Hell, it had really been her that saved him from Obadiah as well. She had killed for him on more than one occasion.

Her stormy eyes raked over his body, lingering the longest on his tight-fitting boxer briefs. "Where are your clothes?"

"I'm honestly not sure. I woke up this way." He could see her imagining all of the things that might have happened to him at Christine's hands, and her possessive nature was quickly overtaken by worry. There was so much concern in Pepper's expression. No person should carry that much of a burden on their shoulders. Especially not her. Not Pepper. So he did the only thing he could think of. He leaned forward and captured her lips with his. Her mouth immediately opened under his. He shivered as their tongues mingled in their familiar dance. God, did he miss this. He missed this so much. He missed her so much. When all he really wanted to do was pin her to the mattress and make her scream his name, he forced himself to pull away from her. It wasn't the time or place but it was still hard. Both of their chests were heaving with exertion, hearts thumping as if they had run a marathon.

"What was that for?" Pepper asked trying and failing to recover from their passionate make-out session. Her blue eyes were unfocused, likely not seeing much of anything at this point as they stared over his shoulder. Her lips were swollen from the force of his kiss.

He loved how even after all of these years, he could still elicit this kind of response from her. He nuzzled her nose with his own. "You are amazing. You know that right?"

By this time, Pepper was finally able to catch her breath and was smiling at him. That perfect smile of hers that made him believe that everything was going to be okay.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Three loud shots rang out in the cabin around him causing Tony to flinch as his eardrums rang from the explosion of noise. Pepper's eyes went wide, his name leaving her lips in a strangled whisper before she slumped forward in his arms.

Christine was standing in the doorway. Her eyes were wild. Her hair a mess. A wicked expression was plastered on her face making her usually beautiful features ugly. Her right arm was raised, shaking violently as she continued to grip tightly to the weapon in her hand. A gun. Holy fuck. Christine had just shot Pepper.

"Tony..." Pepper's voice sounded all wrong, far too breathy for his liking as he leaned down over her slouched form to check her wounds. There they were. Three entry holes in her back. Blood began to seep through her clothing, spreading fast over his hands. Blood. So much blood. Her blood was staining the comforter, blood that should be inside of her. Shit. Shit. Shit. "Tony..." The second time she said his name it was full of pain and anguish. It almost broke him right then and there.

He grasped her face in his hands as she slid down onto the mattress. "You are gonna be fine, Pep." He couldn't keep the shear desperation out of his tone as he smoothed the messy hair back from her forehead. "Friday, scan her for injuries."

"Irreparable damage to heart and lungs. Blood loss at 20%. Condition critical."

No. This couldn't be happening. This could not be happening.

"Tony." Her face was pale. Far too pale. He found himself focusing in on the spattering of freckles on her nose and cheeks. The freckles he loved so very much. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Tony took her small hand in his much larger one. She was cold. She was so very cold. He rubbed her clammy hand against his goatee in the way he knew she liked. "It's okay, Pep. You are going to be okay." Lies. He knew they were lies coming out of his mouth but he couldn't-didn't want to deal with the implications of the truth. The truth would destroy him.

Her lips were blue tinged now as she struggled hard to breathe but it was a fight she was quickly losing. Fresh blood bubbled up from the corner of her mouth when she coughed. Her eyes glistening with new tears met his. "I love you, Tony Stark. Love you, forever," she murmured softly, and Tony just knew with that breath that she was gone.

Death wasn't like it was depicted in the movies. There was no big lead up to it. Her eyes didn't close. The hand he was clutching went limp. She just stopped breathing. "Pepper, don't you fucking dare. Don't you dare leave me. Pep! Pepper! Virginia!" But no matter how loudly he screamed her name there was no response. The light in her eyes was gone. Whatever made Virginia "Pepper" Potts the woman he loved and cherished had left. Her body was nothing more than an empty shell. He was alone. Pepper was dead.

The sound that tore out of Tony's throat was unlike any noise he thought he was capable of making. It was full of pain and loss and rage. Fully distracted by Pepper dying in his arms, he hadn't even noticed his suit was in the doorway, waiting for him where Christine had been only moments before. Christine was now in the corner of the room, cowering away from the armored suit. Even though the last thing he wanted to do was let go of Pepper, he forced himself to lay her lifeless body on the mattress. He launched himself off the bed and in three long strides was completely engulfed by his suit. When the HUD lit up in front of his eyes, he focused his full attention on his new target. Christine Everhart.

From the terrified expression on her face, Christine knew she was in serious trouble now. The gun dropped from her hands. Her entire frame was shaking with fear as she tried in vain to scoot on her butt away from him as he advanced on her. His rage drove him forward, blinding him to everything around him except the woman in front of him. He couldn't think. Didn't want to think. Snarl twisting his lips, he raised his right hand, targeting the shaking mess of a woman on the floor.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Christine shrieked in panic. Rivers of tears were streaking down her pale cheeks leaving trails of mascara behind. Tony didn't mistake those tears for anything other than what they were. Self pity. She wasn't crying for Pepper. She was only crying for herself. The reporter's hands were up in front of her face in surrender but it didn't matter. That simply wasn't an option for her at this point. Even after all she had done to him, after helping kidnap him, after having basically forced herself on him, he could have let her walk. But not now. She killed Pepper. She murdered Pepper in cold-blood, and now the bitch was going to die. "I-I can save her!"

"She's fucking dead!" Tony snarled down at Christine, watching in satisfaction when she jumped when he addressed her. "You killed Pepper. You killed my children. You took away the only things that matter in my life." He took another threatening step forward causing her to shrink back further trying to seem as nonthreatening as possible. "I have nothing left because of you. Nothing! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blast you right out of this plane."

Curled into a shaking ball on the floor, Christine wasn't looking at him now but that didn't stop her from begging. "W-w-wait! Please don't hurt me The nano-tech! It can help. If it heals her enough, it's possible to restart her heart. Just don't hurt me! Don't! Don't! Please."

The rage in Tony subsided enough for him to process her words. "Where's the tech?" When she didn't immediately respond to his question, Tony knelt down next to her in order to grab her by the shoulders and shake her. He may have shaken her a little too hard. He might have given her whiplash but in his defense, she kind of deserved it. "Where is it?"

Christine was so disoriented by the shaking and scared because he was equipped in what was basically a weapon of mass destruction that all she could do was point. Tony glanced in the direction of her finger and that's when he saw the silver case sticking out from under the bed. He lunged for it, yanking it out and flipping it open in almost one fluid movement. It was full of auto injectors. He grabbed one in his trembling hand, jamming it into the part of Pepper's chest that was left exposed by her damaged suit.

Something settled on the bed next to him. He looked over to see the case of an AED defibrillator that Christine had placed there before stepping back. He flipped open his face plate and stared into the frightened woman's eyes as she backed further away, trying to put as much space between her and Tony as possible.

"You better hope this works," Tony growled at her before turning his full attention to Pepper. He turned her lifeless body onto its side, trying not to focus in on those dead eyes; eyes that were so full of love and life not that long ago. He pulled up the back of her shirt, watching in wonder as the bullets were pushed out of her skin as her body healed itself from the inside out. Jesus. This tech was insane. He was so taking this with him. Once the holes were fully closed, he maneuvered her onto her back. "Friday, scan her."

"Her body is fully healed, boss. No pulse is detected."

Tony reached out and grabbed the defibrillator in his hands, readying himself to use it. "Come on, Potts. You've never given up on anything in your life. Come back to me."


	20. Chapter 20

Friday's voice reciting back her current stats was the first thing that registered in her mind. Then her sight started to come back to her slowly. Her surroundings were fuzzy for awhile as if she suddenly needed glasses until she blinked several times and then everything snapped back into sharp focus. Suited up in his red and gold armor, Tony was hovering protectively over her, his dark eyes ringed with red, cheeks wet with tears.

"Hey." Her voice was weak and barely there but she forced out a genuine smile just for him. She needed him to know she was okay. "Were you crying again?"

He grinned at her response, blinking his tears away as he reached out to stroke her face. "Nah, baby. Just got a little something in my eyes is all."

Seeing how worried he clearly was about her made her own eyes become misty. Since even before she knew him, Tony had been through so much, and it seemed he just couldn't catch a break. After this craziness was all over, she was making him take a vacation with her, far away from civilization. Just her and him possibly Friday as long as the AI didn't resort to calling her Boss Lady again. Those would be her demands as his fiancee and the CEO of his company, whichever of those positions she had to pull to get her way.

When she tried in vain to sit up, realizing she was far too weak to do it by herself, Tony was there to help, wrapping his arms around her, pulling her up against his armored chest. It should have been more uncomfortable than it was but for the first time in awhile, Pepper actually felt safe and could relax.

"Son of a bitch. You're alive."

A familiar male voice drew their attention to the doorway. Rhodes was standing there in his own armor, holding Justin Hammer by an arm as the man struggled uselessly, hands bound in front of him. Pepper noticed the gag in his mouth and was thankful that he wasn't able to flap his yap because she really did not want to her his voice now or ever again. Rhodes released his grasp on Hammer. The restrained man fell to the floor where he thrashed around like a fish out of water until he was finally able to push himself up enough to get to his feet. In his anger, Hammer made a split second bad decision, deciding to run full throttle at Rhodes only to receive a blow to the head. He fell to the floor unconscious at War Machine's feet.

"Well, that was extremely satisfying," Rhodes said, his eyes on the still form on the floor. "Smarmy little prick. I've wanted to do that for the longest time." He shifted his gaze up to Tony and shook his head slowly as a grin spread across his face. "Damn, is it good to see you again, buddy."

Tony smirked back at his friend, raising a single brow. "Little late to the party there, platypus. Did you misplace your invite?"

Rhodes rolled his eyes and let out a bark of laughter. "Well, I had a little cleaning up to do before I got here. I think I knocked out at least eight guys before subduing Hammer here so thanks for the help."

Tony held up a finger. "To be fair, I was handcuffed to a bed until a few moments ago, and then I had to play doctor with Pepper here so cut me a little slack, would ya?" Pepper watched Tony's entire playful demeanor change as he moved his eyes to Christine. All of the warmness in him disappeared when he looked at her. "Looks like you have one more to take care of."

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Christine shrieked, backing away as Rhodes bore down on her. "I-I helped you. If it weren't for me, she would be dead," she shouted, pointing at Pepper. "You can't do this to me! You owe me!"

Pepper felt Tony's arms tighten a notch around her. "You were the one who shot her in the first place. You tried to take her from me. It will never happen again. I will make damn sure of that." Tony met his friend's eyes before tossing him the handcuffs he had been in not long ago. "You know what to do, Rhodey. Get her out of my sight."

"No!" Christine yelped, beginning to flail when Rhodes snagged her around the waist as she tried to rush past him. "No! Let me go! You can't prove anything! It was all Justin's idea. I had nothing to do with it. I'm innocent!" She pounded wildly on the chest plate of Rhodes' armor with her bare fists until he caught an arm and clicked the cuff onto her wrist, locking her to him so she was unable to escape.

"Tell that to the recordings I have of you from your office. Talk about anything interesting lately, Christine? If so, I'm sure the police would love to hear all about it," Pepper said, giving her a knowing smile. She couldn't help but poke and prod at her at bit. Christine was lucky that was all she was doing because honestly, after hearing that she had kissed Tony and had him stripped down to his underwear and handcuffed to a bed, she wanted to do a hell of a lot more to her and none of those things were nice.

Pepper was rewarded when Christine lost her temper, snarling like a rabid dog. The woman tried as hard as she could to escape from Rhodes, clawing with her free hand at his armor, shouting until she was red in the face but she was stuck. "You bitch! You stupid bitch! It felt amazing to shoot you. I should have let you die!"

Rhodes gave his prisoner a warning shake. "Can it, lady, or I'll gag you too. I had enough of your insistent blabbing back in the ER," he warned. "Too bad I didn't think to gag you back then."

Christine must have taken his threat to heart because she clamped her mouth shut even as her eyes continued to flash behind her pissed off glare.

"Look," Rhodes continued, now turning his attention back to Tony. "We are on autopilot now since the pilot of this thing decided to try and take me out. I will have to get this thing landed soon. I just need to get some clearance first and figure out where the hell we are. Pretty sure the Air Force is going to be trying to shoot us out of the sky soon since I took out the stealth tech hiding this thing."

Tony fluttered his eyelashes at him. "Well, better get to it then, honey bear. I really don't want to get shot out of the sky again. Pepper and I will just hang back here while you land this thing."

Rhodes snorted. "So, I get to do all the work while you do nothing. As usual."

"Hey!" Tony interjected, pretending to be offended by his friend's jab. Pepper laughed at their humorous exchange. It was nice to see Rhodes back to his old self. Seeing him an absolute mess over the loss of Tony had been more than difficult. She would rub in the fact she was right and he was wrong about Tony much later when he least expected it. Now was definitely not the time.

Rhodes turned to the blond handcuffed to him. "And guess who gets to be my co-pilot? You ever wanted to learn how to land a plane? I'll give you an up close and personal interview with one of the best pilots around. It will be your last one for awhile since you know, you will be spending quite sometime behind bars after the shit you pulled." And before Christine could launch into another tirade and make a scene, he pulled her out of the room behind him.

Pepper glanced down at Hammer's limp body on the floor, making sure he was still out cold before she became aware of the grotesque amount of blood on the bed surrounding her. "That's a lot of blood." Then to her horror realized it must have been all her own blood because even in his suit, she felt Tony shiver violently. Holy crap. No wonder she was weak and lightheaded.

Tony dropped his face onto the exposed skin of her shoulder, making her shudder. "You are telling me. I thought I lost you, Pep." He pulled her further into him so she was now fully in his lap, almost squeezing her too tightly, thanks to the strength of his suit, but Pepper didn't complain. She hugged him back just as hard. After this, she would never complain about anything he did ever again. Okay, so maybe that wasn't true but it may take awhile for the little things he did to bother her again. Of course she was saying that before she sat down on the toilet in the middle of the night without realizing the seat was up. "The second we land..." he started.

Pepper mind kicked into high gear, coming up with its own ideas."We are finding the closest hotel room, checking in and not leaving the bed for at least a few days while I make love to you until neither of us can move."

"We are getting you to a hospital," Tony finished.

It was Pepper's turn to frown. Well, that was not at all what she had planned out in graphic detail in her mind. Not even close. She didn't need a doctor. What she did need was him and only him. She needed him out of that suit and inside her as soon as possible.

When she had first seen him handcuffed to the bed in only his form fitting underwear, not jumping him had been one of the most difficult things she ever had to do. Seeing him lying there all helpless, his compact well-built body spread out on that bed just waiting to be touched. His abs and stomach just begging for her to run her hands over them, to press her lips against them, to run her tongue over them to dip down into his belly button and lower...God. She wanted him right there and then. She craved her skin against his more than she did her next meal and being pregnant with twins that was saying a lot. Spending the next day or more in the hospital undergoing tests instead of being naked in bed with Tony was a horrible thought. She didn't think she would survive that. She was about to whimper out loud but reigned herself back in. God. These pregnancy hormones were nuts. They were going to drive her insane. "Tony, I'm fine. Friday said I was fine. Friday, am I fine?"

"You are 100% healthy and healed," the AI confirmed.

"And the babies?" Pepper urged her to continue, stroking his jawline as he lifted his head from her shoulder. She couldn't help but touch him. "How are the babies?"

"They are also healthy," Friday confirmed.

"See? Everything is fine. I don't need a hospital." Pepper couldn't resist giving into her crazed hormones any longer. She pressed a kiss to his lips, trying a different tactic to get him to change his mind. "I just need you."

Tony must have known what she was up to because instead of deepening the kiss, he pulled back and met her eyes with a serious expression on his face. "I want a second opinion."

Pepper couldn't help but sigh as she laid her head against his chest. "You programmed Friday yourself and now you don't trust your own work?"

"Please, Pep. I saw you die. You were dead. You were dead and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't help you. I can't lose you again. Please. Please, Pep. I'm not strong enough. If I lost you, I don't know what I would do. Please do this for me."

Pepper lifted her head, and there they were. Those huge pitiful puppy dog eyes of his, staring into her very soul. Those chocolate brown orbs would be the death of her. And the lip. The full pouty bottom lip sticking out so far she could bite it. The sight broke her heart into tiny little pieces that only Tony's smile could repair. She lost the argument. "Okay, Tony. If it will make you feel better, I will go to the hospital but you are getting checked out too."

It was Tony's turn to grumble.

"Turnabout is fair play, Mr. Stark. Always remember that."

One side of Tony's mouth quirked up in a partial smile. "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." Tony mumbled as Pepper settled back against him. His arms went around her again and they held each other closely, eyes locked on the man on the floor as they tried to wait patiently for the plane to land.


	21. Chapter 21

Tony couldn't stop touching Pepper. He just couldn't help himself. Even as he was watching closely to make sure that Hammer didn't move from his place on the floor, he was gripping Pepper tightly against him. Thanks to his armor, he was likely holding her a little bit too hard but she didn't complain in the slightest. In fact, even though there was no way it could be comfortable for her, she snuggled closely against him, holding onto him for dear life.

When they finally landed and were met by police who whisked Hammer and Everhart away after Tony convinced them he and Pepper needed to be seen at a hospital before giving their statements, he kept his arms around Pepper the entire time. Even after the media showed up like the vultures they were, he refused to let her go. Yes, he was acting needy and quite frankly he didn't give a damn. Let the world think Tony Stark was pussy whipped and clingy. He had almost lost the love of his life. He was never letting her go ever again.

As they were ushered into the ambulance, he kept a hand on her back, refusing to move away. He needed to get out his damn suit and wrap himself around her. More than anything he needed to feel the warmth of her skin against his. He needed it more than his lungs needed oxygen. As he was about to step out of his suit, he remembered he was only in his underwear and settled for leaving his helmet off and curling up against her in the back of the emergency vehicle.

Pepper had been dead. She had been dead in his arms. He had been so close to losing her for good. He whimpered quietly as he buried his nose into the exposed skin on her neck, seeking out her warmth, but it simply wasn't enough contact for him. He was close to removing his suit altogether because everyone on the planet had seen him with less clothes on anyway when Pepper sighed loudly into his hair, stilling him.

"Tony, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise," she whispered against his forehead as she traced the outline of his goatee with her fingertips. Her gentle voice and loving touch soothed his fears. She wasn't dead. She was with him. She was safe.

He shuddered under the feather light touch of her fingers moving over his face, his eyes rolling back into his head. God did he miss this. He missed just being in her presence. And her touch, her touch was comforting and even in the current situation they were in, arousing. Luckily for him, the suit hid this from sight otherwise things would have gotten a little awkward.

"I guess this seals the deal," Tony mumbled aloud, trying to start a conversation to take his attention off his growing arousal and focus it elsewhere, but Pepper's fingers curling into his hair did not help matters any. He shifted in her embrace trying to get comfortable but it only made things worse for him. Why didn't he think about having this problem when he designed the suit? Not that getting a hard-on was usually a problem when he was busy getting shot at and trying not to get blown up but still...

"And what would that be?" Pepper asked, playfully biting on her bottom lip as she looked up at him from under her lashes. From the naughty gleaming in her eyes, she knew damn well what she was doing to him and was taking pleasure in it.

Oh God. The things this woman did to him. He swallowed thickly, watching as the tip of her pink tongue darted out to lick her top lip. What had he been saying? That's right... "That I'm never volunteering to go to a meeting in your place ever again. In fact, I think this is a sign we should cancel all future meetings..." Yep. That did it. Talking about meetings helped killed the mood. Meetings. Meetings. Meetings. Extra long, extra boring meetings with old guys talking about extra boring things.

Pepper chuckled. He didn't know if she was laughing at what he had said or the fact he was turned on and she knew it. "Tony..."

"No meetings again. Ever. Meetings are clearly bad."

Pepper wrinkled her cute little nose up at him, pulling him in for a quick hug as the back doors of the ambulance opened, announcing their arrival at the hospital. "You're such a dork." As she slowly rose to her feet and untangled herself from his embrace, Tony felt teeth lightly graze his earlobe and he gasped. Just when he had finally gotten himself under control, she had to go and play dirty. "Is it getting a little pinchy in the gooey bag there, Mr. Stark?" From the expression on Pepper's face, she sure was proud of herself.

A playful growl escaped Tony's lips as he watched the EMTs help her out of the ambulance. "Oh, you are in so much trouble when I get you alone later, Ms. Potts."

By the time they had both been checked over and discharged from the hospital with clean bills of health, Happy had finally arrived to pick them up. Tony noticed that Pepper couldn't stop herself from smiling like a complete idiot when the large man refused to stop hugging him. She didn't try to help him at all. In fact, Tony could tell she was close to falling over from hysterics when Happy picked him up and swung him around as if he was a woman in a romance movie. By the time Happy finally released Tony and profusely apologized for his overreaction to seeing him alive, Pepper's face was as red as her hair from laughing, and she didn't stop until they were both sitting in the back of the car and were finally headed back home.

Happy had the divider up, giving them the privacy they needed after all the craziness that happened. Pepper was curled up on Tony's lap. The weight of her body grounded him in reality. The soft sound of her breathing was better than a lullaby. He was close to falling asleep when he felt her suddenly stir in his arms, moving to straddle his thighs. He could feel her hot breath next to his ear.

"Tony?"

Even though he wanted to respond to her, he was far too exhausted to open his eyes. At the moment, it felt as if his eyelids were weighted down by bricks. The adrenaline he had been running on since he had been taken by Hammer was finally waning. He was too tired to do much of anything so his reply was a barely audible, "Hmmm?" He was on the verge of slipping under when the next words finally came out of her mouth.

"I want us to get married. Now."

Her words were like a physical slap to his face. Tony's eyes flew open, and he stared at Pepper; eyes wide, mouth hanging open. He had been half asleep so he wasn't sure if she actually said what he thought she said or if he merely dreamt it. All he did know was that he was wide awake now. "Wait, what?"

Pepper gave him a warm smile as she reached out to grasp his chin, slowly closing his gaping mouth before rubbing her knuckles lovingly over his cheek. "That sure got your attention, didn't it? I said I want to marry you. I want to do it now."

Yep. He had heard correctly. Staring at the overwhelming amount of emotion reflected in Pepper's eyes, he swallowed thickly. His poor brain still couldn't comprehend what she was trying to say. They already were getting married. What did she mean? She had been busy planning the wedding for months, trying to make sure everything was perfect but she wanted to get married now? "Now? As in right now? Did that punch to your face knock something loose in your head?" The nasty look Pepper gave him made him clamp his mouth shut and rethink his approach. He wasn't trying to upset her."It's just that...honey...you spent so much time and energy planning the perfect wedding. You honestly just want to throw all that away and elope?"

He stopped talking when Pepper grabbed his face between her hands. "I just need you, Tony Stark. That's it. Nothing else matters to me. When I thought you were dead..." Her bottom lip began to quiver. Tears filled her eyes, and she broke eye contact.

God. More than anything did he hate seeing her cry. It hurt him more than getting shocked by Hammer's stupid e-cuffs. He reached out to swipe away the tears on her face before pulling her against his body, tucking her head securely underneath his chin. "Pep..."

"It almost killed me," she forced out. "It almost killed me to lose you." He could no longer see her face, just her beautiful red hair. "I just don't want any regrets. You know all of that fancy stuff is just for show. We can still have the big wedding with everyone but..."

"But you want to get hitched now?" Tony guessed.

He felt Pepper nod as her fingers curled into his shirt. "I don't want to wait to be Mrs. Virginia Stark anymore."

After her admission, Tony almost expected the sound of a record scratch to fill the air. He blinked down at her in surprise. Okay, he had been almost positive that he was awake but maybe he was wrong. Maybe he was dreaming. That would explain this. Maybe he was still back up on Hammer's aircraft handcuffed to the bed. That would be statistically more probable than what was currently happening. Pepper wanted to be a Stark? "Wait, you-you actually want to take my name? But I thought..."

When Pepper lifted her head from his chest, the tears were all gone from her eyes. There was nothing reflected in them but pure confidence as she kissed him into silence. He didn't object when her arms slipped around his shoulders, and she deepened the kiss. "I'm taking your name, Mr. Stark. It's my decision. I want everyone to know that I belong to you and you belong to me."

Holy shit did Tony love hearing her say that. It turned him on to have her say that they belonged to each other. He leaned forward to press his lips against her neck again and again. "Mmmm. You feeling a little possessive, Potts?"

He heard her hum in pleasure, tilting her head to the side to give him better access as he kissed her. "After what happened? Yes. Yes, I am. Can you honestly blame me? When I saw you handcuffed to the bed, I thought-I thought..."

Tony immediately felt her entire body stiffen up. He pulled back, watching as the wheels in her head spun into overdrive. He could only imagine what she thought had transpired between the two of them when she found him on the bed in only his underwear. He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Hey, nothing happened. I swear to you. You saved me."

Pepper was still thinking too hard. He could tell as she traced his lips. "Honestly, I kinda wish I had blasted her out of the plane. I would have liked to see her survive that. Maybe we would have gotten lucky and she would have gotten sucked into an engine."

His eyebrows climbed skyward. "Damn, Pepper. You are one feisty woman."

"When it comes to you, you better believe it. I had to fight for years to get you. I'm not losing you now." Her eyes stayed serious as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

This woman was fierce, and she was all his. "So we get married now."

Pepper leaned into his hand, the tension leaving her body. "Yes."

"And do we wait to announce it or can I shout it from the rooftops?"

Pepper smiled before giving him a peck on the lips. "We can discuss that."

Tony cleared his throat. "Well, before I tell Hogan to take us to the closest 24 hour chapel, why don't you buckle in just in case he decides to swerve off the road and hit someone?"

Pepper laughed as she removed herself from his lap. "Maybe ask him when he's sitting at a stop light."

"Actually, I'm kind of in the mood for a cheeseburger. I'll tell Hogan to take us by Burger King first," Tony said, waiting for Pepper's reaction to his statement as he watched her buckle herself in. He was rewarded when her head snapped up and she locked eyes with him. Oh yeah. There it was. He loved the way her blue eyes blazed when she was upset with him. He gave her one of his famous Stark grins. "Just kidding, Pep. Relax would ya? Oh! I have the best idea. How about we have Elvis marry us while I am in my Iron Man suit? What do you think?"

That earned him another look. "I think you better not push it, Mr. Stark."

"I wouldn't dream of it, soon-to-be Mrs. Stark."

Pepper beamed at him before resting her head on his shoulder. "You know, I think I can get used to that."


	22. Chapter 22

"Seriously, Hap, you say anything to anybody..."

"And my ass is grass. I know. I know," Happy interjected, finishing Tony's sentence, giving him a glare through the rear view mirror as he drove them back toward their place. "You've told me like twenty times all ready, and I heard you the first time, Boss."

Pepper chuckled at how annoyed the man sounded and the fact that the way he said "Boss" sounded like a curse word. Not that she could really blame him for being so irritated. Tony indeed had told him twenty or so times to keep his mouth shut. He really wasn't exaggerating that fact. Pepper leaned over to place a swift kiss to her husband's fuzzy jaw, trying to pacify him. Husband. Holy shit. Tony was her husband. They were married now. She was pretty sure she knew just how to get him to lighten up.

"Relax, husband of mine." Pepper gave one of Tony's hands a firm squeeze. Just as she hoped, Tony turned his full attention to her, and she almost gasped from the intensity of his dark gaze. Those big brown eyes of his locked in and focused in on her like she was the only thing that mattered to him in the world. It didn't matter how many times he looked at her. She was always amazed by how much emotion he could express with his eyes without saying a word. He had the most beautiful eyes. She could stare into them all day and not get bored. Reflected in them, she could see all kinds of things. His worry. His sadness. His love. Pepper reached out to run the back of her hand down his face, and Tony leaned into her touch, never once breaking eye contact.

"I honestly cannot believe you to are actually married now." Happy's voice broke the shared moment between them. "I just can't believe it. I honestly was beginning to think it was never going to happen. Took you guys long enough."

Pepper chuckled lightly as she leaned into Tony, sighing deeply when his arm pulled her closer. Okay, so maybe Happy was right. It had taken them quite awhile to finally come to terms with their feelings for each other. She could now honestly admit to herself that she had wanted Tony even before Afghanistan but she kept herself guarded because she didn't want to get hurt. She had known even back then that she would not survive Tony Stark breaking her heart.

Pepper felt Tony go rigid next to her. He obviously didn't find Happy's comment as funny as she did. "Yes, we are seriously married now and you have to keep your trap shut about it until our public wedding date. Can you do that?"

Happy groaned loudly. "I said I could and I will. I can keep a secret. I kept the engagement ring I had been carrying for you since 2008 a secret didn't I?"

Happy's words hit Pepper like a freight train and now she was the one who bolted up straight in her seat. She tried to keep the panic out of her voice but wasn't quite able to pull it off. "Wait, what?" Her eyes darted to try and catch Tony's but he refused to look at her. The math just didn't add up. Tony bought a ring for her back in 2008? He knew he wanted to marry her in 2008? "You had a ring for me since 2008?"

"Really, Happy? Really? You've got me questioning your ability to keep a secret," Tony snapped, ignoring Pepper's question.

"What? I figured you would have told her by now. Oh look, we are back."

Sure enough, they were back in the parking garage. Pepper was so preoccupied with the conversation in the vehicle that she hadn't noticed they had arrived home.

"Well, it looks like you two have a lot to talk about so...I'll see you tomorrow." Happy was out of the car and had the door shut before Tony could continue to reprimand him. Pepper had no idea the man was capable of moving that fast. And while Happy always opened the door for them, he did not do it this time. Oh wow. He really must have been afraid of what else Tony was going to say to him.

"That man's got a big mouth. He's lucky I like him," Tony grumbled as he threw open his own door and stomped around the back of the car to her side of the vehicle.

Was Tony honestly going to keep ignoring her and pretend she hadn't heard what Happy had said about the ring? Her door opened and Tony reached out to offer her his hand. Without thinking, Pepper took his hand and allowed him to help her out of the car and then he shocked her by scooping her up in his arms, carrying her across the garage and toward the elevator.

Pepper let out a yelp of surprise, her arms going around his neck, legs kicking wildly. "What are you doing? You are going to hurt yourself. Put me down now."

Tony chuckled, his laugh rumbling low in his chest. "I've got you. I'm just carrying you across the threshold. Isn't that customary for newlywed couples anymore? Just relax, Mrs. Stark. I won't drop you. I promise."

Mrs. Stark. Just hearing those words made her feel warm all over. She and Tony were married. Finally. Pepper relaxed into his strong arms as he . She wasn't worried about him dropping her. He was strong and she trusted him. "So, Mr. Stark," she purred, moving her hand up from his shoulder to the back of his neck, sinking her fingers into his soft hair and watching in satisfaction as his eyes fluttered closed momentarily. She knew his hair was his weak spot. One of the many she knew intimately well. "When are you going to put me down?"

They had finally reached the elevator and she helped him by reaching out to press the button. "I'm not putting you down until we get to the bed and then we are going to get down, if you know what I mean."

And when he waggled his eyebrows at her, she couldn't help but bury her face in his chest and snicker at his antics. This man. Insatiable. Incorrigible. Incredibly hot. "Tony, I'm not having sex with you until after we both have had a shower. We need to clean up." She heard him grumble under his breath and had to suppress her giggle at just how frustrated he sounded.

"Fine but we are sharing a shower. It will be faster," he added as Pepper ran the back of her hand down his scruffy cheek. Even though he was in badly need of a shave, he was still absolutely desirable. He definitely wore scruffy well. When the elevator finally opened and they stepped into the place they called home, Tony turned his gaze onto her, his eyes sparkling with happiness. "Welcome home, Mrs. Stark."

Pepper actually blushed. "Back at you, Mr. Stark."

To give him credit, Tony actually did behave himself. Instead of throwing her into the bed like in his original plan, he took her into the bathroom and set her on the counter while he readied the water for them both. He then helped her undress before stepping out of his own clothes. Once inside the shower, it was hard for Pepper to want to leave. She could have stayed in there for hours. The hot water felt amazing on her skin. Well, Tony's naked body felt amazing on her skin too but right now she was focused on getting them both scrubbed clean and not jumping him. Not yet anyway. There was nothing sexual about this shared shower. It was just the two of them taking care of each other.

"I missed this," Tony whispered as he buried his face into her shoulder, his hands massaging her back. "I missed you."

"Me too," Pepper admitted, "but we are together now. It's okay." But how long would they be together? When would his stint as Iron Man finally take him away from her? It was inevitable. Sooner or later his luck would run out and she would lose him. He would die and she would be forced to deal with the fact she has to live in a world without him. And she was sure that just wasn't possible.

"Pep?"

Tony was obviously picking up on her apprehension. Why was she thinking about this right now? They had just gotten married. Now was not the time to focus on the negative. They were married. They were having twins. Focus on that. Forcing all of the bad thoughts to the back of her mind, Pepper gave Tony a smile. "Let's get out of here before we both turn into giant prunes."

Once they were both dry and dressed in their night clothes, Pepper in one of Tony's old MIT shirts and Tony in a pair of sweatpants and a black tank top, Pepper got to work washing her face and brushing her teeth. It felt good to get clean. She couldn't remember a time where it had felt as good as it did right now to brush her teeth.

"I'm skipping shaving tonight if you don't mind, Pep," Tony said as he ran a hand over his face, checking out his new beard growth in the mirror.

Pepper swished and spit. "Just don't give me beard burn. I have things to do tomorrow."

"Where I plan on leaving it, nobody will ever see. Well, nobody but me, that is." Tony pumped his eyebrows at her, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Tony Stark!" Pepper gave a playful shove to his shoulder as she moved past him out of the bathroom. Once she collapsed onto their bed, she watched Tony as he brushed his teeth, admiring the strong defined muscles in his shoulders. Then she suddenly remembered that he never did answer her question from earlier. She wasn't going to let him off that easily. "Tony, did you actually buy my ring back in 2008?" He still had his back to her, his sweatpants around his hips were riding dangerously low and baring the top of his excellently shaped backside. Her heart sped up as he bent over the sink to spit and she couldn't help but imagine herself digging her nails into that beautiful ass and he thrust inside of her. Quickly, she blinked the images out of her head. Focus, Virginia. You have to focus. She had to get him to answer her question about the ring before she got distracted by his wonderfully sculpted body. It was far too easy to forget what she was talking about when Tony was naked. He had left the bathroom and was standing next to her. "Anthony Edward Stark, are you going to answer my question? You can't avoid it forever. Why did you buy my engagement ring back in 2008?"

"Because I just knew." His words were so quiet she almost missed them.

Pepper immediately perked up at his admission, propping herself up on an elbow. "Knew what?"

Tony flopped down on the bed, taking one of her hands in his and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles. His eyes were wide and full of things she couldn't even begin to understand. "That I wanted to be with you forever."

Anything Pepper had been about to say immediately died on her lips. Nothing she could think to say was sufficient so she leaned over and kissed him, pouring every little bit of emotion into it, trying to show him without words just how much she loved him.

When his hands slid underneath her shirt to push the material up to expose her stomach, she shivered. He kept his hands low, partially covering the small swell of her belly as he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lower abdomen, his mustache tickling her sensitive skin. "I love you." He then tilted his gaze up to meet Pepper's, and she almost gasped at the emotion she saw reflected in those brilliant brown eyes. "All three of you."

Suddenly overcome by emotion, Pepper's eyes filled with tears. One of her hands flew up to cover the sob that threatened to escape. Thinking back to ten years ago, who could have guessed that they would be here? Well, now that she thought about it, Tony had. "Oh, Tony." Her hands grabbed fist fulls of his shirt, pulling him up so she could kiss him again. And again. And again. And again until he opened his mouth and she was lost in him. This man. She loved him more than anything in this world. They kissed with hands grabbing and stroking and groping each other until they were both left panting and wanting more but as Pepper reached for his pants, she felt Tony's hands close over top of hers, preventing further exploration. She pulled back, questioning him with her gaze, not understanding why he was stopping her.

"I'm done, Pep."

Now Pepper was even confused, not understanding what was happening. She was pretty sure he didn't mean with her. He had just married her after all. And she knew he wasn't talking about their night because she could feel how turned on his was. "With what?"

"With Iron Man. I'm done."

Of all of the things he could have possibly said at that moment, she definitely was not expecting that. Her mouth fell open as she inhaled sharply. "What do you mean?"

He held her gaze, reaching a hand out to stroke her face. "I almost lost you and our kids. Never again. I'm done with Iron Man. I'm hanging up the armor. I'm retiring. The world has enough heroes. They don't need me. You need me. Our kids need me. From now on it's just you, me and the mini-Starks. You and the kids are my world now."

Pepper was shocked to silence. Tony was actually going to give up being Iron Man? He actually wanted to give up Iron Man? It had been a major part of his life for so long now. Would he honestly okay with giving it all up and simply being a family man? Would she be enough for him?

He quirked a single brow at her, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smirk. "Cat got your tongue there, Mrs. Stark? Did I actually shock the CEO of Stark Industries to silence?"

The adorable expression on his face was enough to make her fears of not being enough for him to dissolve at least for the moment. Tony was on a roll of taking her completely by surprise. First he married her. And then he gave up being Iron Man. She wasn't usually one to not know what to say but now...nothing seemed adequate so she took his face in between her hands and realized then that they were shaking. She didn't know there were tears on her cheeks until Tony brushed them away with the pad of his thumb. "I am so proud of you, Tony Stark. You are an amazing man. You are going to be a wonderful father and I'm so very glad you chose to spend the rest of your life with me as my husband."

The signature Stark smirk that was on his lips transformed into a genuine smile full of love. "No, Pep. It's me who is the lucky one."

Tony's confessions and the way he was currently looking at her was making her weepy. And horny. Incredibly unbelievably horny. Or maybe that was just her pregnancy hormones in overdrive. All she knew was she needed to have Tony. Now. With one swift movement, she threw a leg over his hips, straddling his body. She leaned down to press a hot open-mouthed kiss to his mouth. "Make love to me, Mr. Stark."

The smile Tony gave her sent shivers down her spine. "With pleasure, Mrs. Stark. I plan to make this a night you will never forget."


	23. Chapter 23

Tony kept his promise. It was definitely a night she would never forget. After making love for what seemed like hours, they had eventually fallen asleep, tangled up in one another. When she woke the following morning, Tony was still in her arms, pressed up against her. Pepper smiled. She still remembered how surprised she was to learn that the Tony Stark, playboy extraordinaire, the man who was always up out of bed and out of sight when his one-night-stands woke up the following morning, loved to cuddle and not only that, he preferred being the little spoon. It may have stemmed from back when he still had the arc reactor embedded in his chest. It wasn't often but once in awhile she woke up in the morning with an imprint from it. When he had found that out, it had upset him a lot more than it had hurt her. After that, he had always made sure she was the one holding him. Pepper had to admit, she did love it when he rubbed his luscious ass into her.

She quickly discovered, she did enjoy sleeping and waking up with Tony Stark and found the man also radiated heat like a furnace. One of her favorite things to do was stick her ice-cold feet against his hot skin to warm them and to give him credit, he put up with it each and every time without complaints. He truly did love her. He was the best fiance ever. No wait. Husband. Married. She was married now.

Not wanting to wake him, she carefully slid out of bed and padded over to the bathroom. The press conference they had scheduled to assure the public that they were both alive and well wasn't until noon but she had a lot to do before then. She could let Tony rest for a few more hours while she went into work and did a few things.

When she left the bathroom dressed and ready to go thirty minutes later, Tony was still fast asleep. Pepper took the time to watch him for a few minutes, smiling at how relaxed he seemed to be. There was even the cutest little smile on his lips. She wondered what he was dreaming about. She hoped it was her. After pressing a gentle kiss to his mouth, she left him to head to work.

Time flew by at what Pepper could have sworn was a supernatural rate because it seemed like she had only blinked and it was almost noon. It was almost noon =, and she still hadn't heard from Tony. He told her he would meet her in the office at eleven so they could grab a quick bite to eat together but he was nowhere to be found. She called his phone several times but it went straight to voicemail. Unable to reach him, she let out a small growl of frustration. Dammit, Tony! You promised! After all, this press conference was really about him. He was the one who had supposedly died in a plane crash. If he didn't show up to answer questions, how was the public suppose to believe he was really okay? She was sure the conspiracies would start pouring in about how he really died and Stark Industries was trying to cover it all up. Maybe she should give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he was just running a little behind (as usual) and would meet her there so she packed up and headed out.

Unfortunately for her, Tony was not there waiting for her but the press was, video cameras rolling and flashes going off as she entered the room. She threw a helpless look at Happy who could only shrug. Great. He wasn't going to be any help. She checked her watch one more time. Tony was now late. It was twenty minutes past when the press conference was scheduled to begin. She was going to have to go on without him. Walking up to take her place at the podium in the front of the room, she tried to keep a smile on her face but she was pretty sure she failed miserably. Tony was in so much trouble when she got her hands on him.

After giving the press a brief statement about what had transpired the other day, as much as she could because the police didn't want all of the details out yet, a young female reporter she did not recognize in the very front of the crowd threw a hand up in the air and began speaking without being called on.

"Ms. Potts, what do you have to say about the photos of Mr. Stark shopping for baby clothes that were taken earlier today?"

Pepper's mind went blank at the reporter's words. All she could do was blink stupidly for a moment or so as the paparazzi all around her snapped what seemed to be a million photos. "Excuse me?"

"Mr. Stark was seen purchasing baby clothes earlier today along with other baby items. How far along are you, Ms. Potts?" After the female reporter finished her question, the room fell into utter chaos. Everyone was shouting questions, wanting to know if she really was pregnant, how far along she was, if she knew if it was a boy or girl yet...

At least she didn't have to prove that Tony was alive. He was out and about and there was proof of that on film. Well, he was alive but she honestly didn't know how much longer he would be. She was going to kill him. She hadn't even told anyone in her family that she was pregnant and now the entire world knew. With her mind reeling, she knew now was not a good time to try and answer any questions so she thanked everyone for coming and got out of there as quickly as she could, managing to give Happy a thankful smile as he blocked the door to give her time to get away from the reporters.

As soon as she turned her cell back on, it began to ring. Her eyes flicked down to read the caller ID. It was her mother. Her eyes widened in horror. Oh God. Oh my God. Her mother knew. She was going to have a freakin' cow. It had taken forever to get her used to the idea that she was dating Tony Stark and now she had been told by the media that her daughter was pregnant. As far as she knew, she was unwed and pregnant. That man was in so much trouble. Her phone kept ringing. She kept ignoring it until it finally got to be too much for her. She decided to shut her phone off and not turn it on until tomorrow. There was no way she would be able to have a civilized conversation with anyone at the moment. Especially not her own mother. By the time she arrived back in her suite, she was seeing red and out for blood. "Tony!" she shouted as she kicked off her heels, heels that she wouldn't be able to wear for much longer when her feet began to swell up like the rest of her. She tossed her handbag on the counter and didn't even care that it slid off the other side. "Tony, where are you?"

"In here, Pep!"

"Anthony Edward Stark, are you freaking kidding me?"

She found him on the ground in one of the extra bedrooms surrounded by a bunch of shopping bags and several piles of wood, screwdriver firmly clutched in one hand. He was dressed in one of his old, white, grease-stained tank tops and a pair of dark denim jeans with a rip in one knee. Tony quirked his brows as he stared up at his wife from his place on the floor. His hair was a mess, likely from him running his hands through it in frustration. His facial hair was still untrimmed, his goatee mixing in with the new bread growth. From the expression on his face, it was obvious he knew he was in trouble but it seemed he didn't know what he had done. "Are you okay, Pep? You seem upset."

Pepper's eye twitched. "Upset? That is an understatement if I ever heard one. I am so pissed at you right now!"

Tony pointed to himself, eyebrows almost disappearing into his hairline. "Me? What did I do?" There was that innocent tone again. The one that either made her want to fight or fuck him depending on the circumstances.

How could this man, a genius, be so utterly clueless? Pepper threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "The press conference. You forgot about the press conference, Tony. We were both supposed to be there. Together. Remember? Especially you since you were the one who supposedly died in a plane crash." She watched as realization spread across his face. "And at said press conference, guess what I was asked? I was asked why my fiance was shopping for baby clothes. Baby clothes, Tony! What were you thinking? I haven't told anyone I'm pregnant yet, and now the entire world knows. And then, of course my mother starts immediately calling me. She went from thinking you were dead to finding out you knocked me up in a matter of days..." her voice trailed off when she realized what he had been busy doing. It was her turn for her eyebrows to climb. "Are you-are you putting together a crib?"

"Two cribs actually." He gave her a boyish grin that made him look much younger than he was. "They match. I even got paint to do the nursery. Well, I got four different colors of paint to see which one you would like better because I know you like choices."

Pepper massaged her temples, trying her hardest to reign in her temper. Oh my God. This man. I'm going to have three kids to take care of. They had talked at length about keeping the pregnancy on the down low at least for awhile and here Tony was buying baby clothes and cribs and painting a freakin' nursery for crying out loud. What was she going to do with him? "Tony, we talked about this."

Tony stuck out his bottom lip. "But Pep, it was an Iron Man onesie. I couldn't help myself. I tried. Believe me." He looked like a kicked puppy. It was almost impossible to stay mad at him for long. He was so damn adorable with his giant brown eyes accented by thick dark lashes. If their kids got his eyes, she was so screwed. Even against her best judgment, she felt her anger melting away. He meant well. He really did. And God, she had thought she had lost him. Again. He may have forgotten to attend an important press conference and accidentally announced her pregnancy to the world but he was alive and here with her now. That was more than enough.

"I'm sorry, Pep. I really am." He scrubbed a hand over his goatee before running shaky fingers through his hair. "I guess I just got overly excited. I mean, I never thought I would be a dad, and honestly I got sidetracked. I was just going out to get a coffee to wake myself up, and I saw the cutest baby stuff, and I guess I just lost my mind. It was all so adorable with all the different outfits and bibs and hats and shoes..." He finally realized he was rambling like he so often did when he got nervous and stopped himself, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I messed up, okay? Forgive me? Please, Pepper."

There wasn't an angry bone left in her body as she knelt down in front of him, taking his face in her hands. His eyes fluttered closed as he leaned into her, pressing his forehead gently against hers. Her breath shuddered out of her, throat closing up as tears threatened to surface. How could she stay mad at him when he was this excited about having a family with her? She knew how much he craved attention and love from his own father but never received it. It amazed her that after how he was raised, he was full of so much love. He showed her that each and every day. "Oh, Tony. It's okay."

"I just-I just don't want to screw this up, Pep, and I think I might. I don't want to be like my dad. I mean, I loved my dad but it just felt like...I don't know...like I didn't love him enough."

Pepper felt her heart shatter into a million pieces at Tony's admission. Of course he would blame his father's actions on himself when it had nothing to do with him. It's what he did time and time again. He always took the blame for everything whether it was his fault or not. Even though he had missed the press conference, she felt extremely guilty for going off on him like she had.

Needing to be closer to him, she wrapped her arms around him and he surged forward into her embrace, burying his nose in the crook of her neck. When his body began to shake with silent sobs, Pepper only held him tighter as she blinked back tears of her own. "You won't screw this up, okay? Do you hear me, Anthony Stark?" she whispered fiercely, punctuating her sentence with a kiss to his ear. "You are going to be the best dad on the planet. Whatever happened between you and your dad was his fault. Stop blaming yourself. You were a child. It wasn't your fault. You are nothing like him, and I love you, Tony. I love you so much." She turned, pressing kisses to the side of his head, refusing to let him go until his breathing evened out.

"Love you too, Pep," he whispered and after a pause continued, "So, you wanna see what I got?"

Pepper chuckled. She loved this man with all of her heart. "Sure."


	24. Chapter 24

Never in his life did Tony think he would actually be happy about getting someone pregnant. But this wasn't just any someone. This was Pepper. She was his entire world. She had been for years even before he realized it. As long as he had her, he knew everything would be okay. He could lose everything: his fame, his fortune, hell, his entire company, but as long as she was there, that was all that mattered. And now, this wonderful woman who had stood faithfully by his side all of these years and actually loved him, was having his baby...er...babies.

Watching her belly grow over the passing months was fascinating to him. The bigger she got, the more beautiful she was in his eyes, even if Pepper herself insisted she looked and felt like a beached whale. He had barely been able to keep his hands off her before but now, with her enlarged breasts and round belly, she was a freaking goddess. It was hard for him not to jump her the minute she walked in the door. No matter where they were together, if she was within arms reach, he found himself constantly drawn to her, one hand always reaching out to caress her belly lovingly. And while Pepper snarled at anyone else who tried to stroke her stomach, she welcomed Tony's touch. When he would place his hand on her, she would put hers on top of his, interlocking their fingers and no matter what happened, everything just felt right in his world.

Two weeks after the baby clothes press conference fiasco, they formally announced the pregnancy to the public (even though it had basically been confirmed time and time again by Tony being unable to stop himself from browsing for baby stuff) and let everyone know the wedding was off until the babies were born. Their secret wedding was still a secret. In the public eye they were still Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts but behind closed doors, they were Mr. and Mrs. Stark. Although Tony still did call her Potts from time to time. He had a feeling it was a nickname that was going to stick for life.

As the weeks flew by, Pepper's food cravings got stranger and stranger. Late one night after he could have sworn she was asleep, she wandered down to find him in his workshop to see if he would please go out and get her red licorice and also chicken tacos with mango salsa. And ice cream. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Luckily for him, he still manged to skip a few meals every now and then otherwise he would have gotten a belly right along with her from eating everything she requested. Well, except when she asked for peanut butter and pickle sandwiches or sauerkraut pizza. He straight up passed on that.

Before he knew it, Pepper was four months pregnant and on this particular Monday, he was even more of a hot mess than usual as he scurried around like a chicken with its head cut off. "Come on, Pep! We are gonna be late!" He knew he was a ball of nervous energy and was making Pepper exceedingly anxious with his half-crazed actions but the emotions he was feeling were too big for him to contain. "We have to leave now. Right now."

"Relax, Tony."

How in the hell did Pepper sound so relaxed when he was close to losing his freaking mind? She didn't see the slightest bit nervous at all. Relax? There was absolutely no way he was going to relax. Tony shook his head at her comment and continued on his almost crazed dash across the expanse of their suite. "Nope. Can't relax. What if there is traffic and we miss the appointment? What if we get a flat tire on the way there? What if..."

"Tony!"

The feeling of Pepper's hands gripping either side of his face made him stop and look at her. Really look at her for the first time that morning. His eyes moved over the light freckles on her cheeks and nose. He counted a few of them to try and calm himself before finally meeting her eyes. They were steady and true, reflecting so much in them he almost forgot to breath. "Do you trust me?"

He stopped. Everything stopped with her question. "Of course I do. I trust you with my life."

Obviously not at all surprised with his answer, Pepper nodded, leaning forward to press her forehead against his, and he melted against her, taking her hands as she offered them to him. "It will be okay. Okay, Tony? I promise. Everything will be fine. Happy is in the car and waiting for us right now so come with me, and let's do this together."

Even though it pained him to put any distance between them, he pulled back a few inches to meet her eyes, still firmly gripping her hands. The strength he found in them made him feel a little better already. "What would I do without you?"

"You would be completely lost." Pepper teased with a smirk before pressing a gentle soothing kiss to the corner of his mouth. "But in all seriousness, you will never have to worry about that because you are stuck with me. We are in this together forever, Mr. Stark."

Forever. He shivered. He loved the sound of that. He lifted one of her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Forever, Mrs. Stark."

The trip to the doctor's office would have felt much longer than it actually was if not for Pepper keeping him busy by asking him question after question about what project he was currently working on and eventually when that stopped working, using her mouth in other more distracting ways. He was pretty sure she was close to leaving hickeys all over his neck but quite frankly, he couldn't give a damn, not when her teeth sunk into his skin and her nails raked his shoulders. When her fingers were close to popping the button on his blue jeans, the car finally stopped, and Tony almost growled.

Pepper could obviously sense his disappointment because she gave him one last drawn-out kiss with quite a bit of tongue to tide him over before pulling away. She brushed his hair back from his forehead and lifted her gaze to the window. "Looks like we are here. We will have to finish this later. Come on."

Letting his head fall back against the seat, Tony groaned as he watched the door open and Happy help Pepper out of the car. Grumbling, he took the time to readjust himself because thanks to her, his jeans were very constricting before taking a deep breath and following her out of the car.

"Do you have any feeling about what you are having?" the ultrasound tech asked as she moved the wand around on Pepper's exposed belly, turning the screen at a better angle to let all of them see what was happening. Tony was sitting next to Pepper in a chair, holding one of her hands in both of his, staring blankly at the strange images appearing in front of him. He didn't realize he was bouncing his leg until Pepper gave him a soft squeeze, drawing his attention to her.

She gave him a reassuring smile before answering the tech's question. "No. I have no idea whatsoever. But they have been very active lately. All I know is with these three, I will have my hands full. I doubt I will get any sleep anytime soon."

"Hey now," Tony interjected, acting as if he was offended by her adding him into the mix. Not that he really could be because she was right. He was a night owl, and she often found herself up late because of him.

Pepper bit her lip as she playfully stared up at him from under her lashes. He knew that look. She was teasing him, obviously trying to put him at ease about the entire situation. Her playfulness did make him feel better. She knew him so well. They stared at each other for several long seconds before averting their eyes back to the screen.

"Looks like you are going to have a boy..."

Tony felt his throat tighten as he looked to his wife. She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand again, grounding him in reality. A son. He was going to have a son. And with that realization he knew there was absolutely no way he was going to make the same mistakes his own father did. He was going to love his son unconditionally, tell him he loved him every single day, several times a day. He would tell him that he would love him no matter what, no matter how many mistakes he made, that he would always be there for him.

"And a girl."

Tony's eyes widened as the tech's words soaked in. Wait. He was going to have a son and a daughter? A little boy and a little girl? Tony felt his throat tighten another degree. Now Anthony Edward Stark usually wasn't one for displaying emotion especially in front of people he didn't know but there was nothing that could contain what he was feeling. Eyes bright with tears, he rubbed Pepper's hand against his cheek. "What did I ever do to be so lucky? This is everything I could ever want. I don't...I don't deserve this." Before the tears could break free, he buried his face in her neck, letting them wet Pepper's shirt.

"You do deserve this," Pepper assured him, her own voice cracking with emotion as she carded her fingers through his hair again and again. "You do, Tony. You are the most loyal, loving person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. If anyone deserves this, it is you."

Tony tried to believe Pepper's words but he found he just couldn't. No matter how many times over the years she told him he deserved the world, he just had too much blood on his hands to agree with her. Nothing he did could ever make up for his past, but that didn't mean he would ever stop trying. He may have spent part of his life developing weapons that were used to kill innocent people and helped set loose a crazed AI on the unsuspecting world, but he would spend the rest of his life doing what he could to try and make up for his mistakes. And while he may have had his share of failures in the past, he refused to fail his kids. That was something he would never allow himself to do.

"Tony?"

He could tell Pepper was worried now by her change in tone and the way she she was rubbing at the back of his neck as if trying to massage the tension out of him. Not wanting to cause her any further distress, he lifted his head, blinking back the rest of his tears. At some point, the ultrasound tech had left them alone in the room. Being alone in Pepper's presence caused him to relax because he knew he didn't have to hide anything from her. She knew him. She knew everything about him and loved him anyway. "You know, I've been thinking about what you said about having a place the kids can call home, and I wanted to run it by you first of course but what would you think about having our Malibu mansion rebuilt?"

Pepper blinked at him in surprise. Her mouth opened and closed several times but nothing came out.

"I mean, it would take a while to rebuild and the babies might be born before it is completed but we could start..." Tony felt himself being pulled by the front of his shirt off his chair and his sentence was suddenly cut off by Pepper's lips molding against his own. He closed his eyes and happily kissed her back. He had made her happy. Good. That's all he ever wanted to do was make her happy. "Is that a yes?" he asked against her mouth as he raised his brows in question.

Pepper ended the kiss, wiping her smeared lip gloss off his mouth with her thumb. Her eyes were glistening. "Yes that's a yes."

As soon as she agreed, the gears in his head were immediately turning as he planned everything out. "Excellent. So I will make some calls when we get back and line everything up. I will get them building as soon as possible. Should we do a replica of the original or change things up a bit? I really liked my workshop the way it was so I don't plan on changing that any but we could make a play area for the kids, and did we want them to share a bedroom or have two separate rooms? I mean eventually they will want their own rooms but to start with, what do you think? Did you want them to bunk with us until they are older because I know that makes breastfeeding earlier, if you are planning on breastfeeding that is..."

"Tony." Pepper silenced him with a finger to his lips, and he was glad for it. Sometimes when he got hyper-focused on a project, he couldn't make himself stop. Only someone physically stepping in could redirect his attention. "Stop and enjoy the moment." She guided his hand down to her belly, keeping her hand on top of his to make sure he didn't move it. "Can you feel that?" she asked, watching his face for confirmation.

It wasn't too often Tony felt the babies moving. They always seemed to sense him and for whatever reason stopped whatever it was they were doing whenever he put his hand on her stomach. This time was different. This time he felt it, the gentle movement underneath his hand. Wonder filled his eyes. Those were his babies. His and Pepper's babies. Nothing felt as good as this. Nothing. Not even the first flight he had taken in his Iron Man suit. "I love you, Pep," he whispered as he pressed a gentle kiss to her exposed skin of her belly, rubbing his nose against both his wife and his kids. "Love you too, mini-Starks." He smiled when he felt a tiny kick against his cheek as if the twins were saying it right back to him.

"So, names." When they finally got back to their suite, he collapsed onto the bed, stretching out like a lounging cat to watch Pepper change into her silk pajamas. They had had a long day, spending most of it out and about with Happy running errands so they hadn't gotten time to finish what they started in the car earlier and to be honest, he was horny. Extremely horny. He couldn't help it. Not when she looked the way she did. His eyes lingered on the naked skin of her back, almost derailing his train of thought completely. "I guess we should start thinking about names." Pepper wasn't really listening to him at this point, busying herself with taking her hair down and brushing through the tangles but he knew just how to get her attention. That had always been something he was good at even before they had officially started their relationship. He rubbed at his goatee thoughtfully, watching to see how long it would take for him to get the reaction he wanted. "How about...hmmm...Jack and Jill?" He didn't really care for the names but he was trying to think of famous male/female duos, and it was the first thing that popped into his head.

His first try didn't phase her in the slightest. He watched her cross the room and disappear into the bathroom without even giving him a single glance. Darn it! "Like Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water? Come on, Tony. I know you are more creative than that."

"How about...Bonnie and Clyde?" He suggested, rolling over onto his stomach. He propped his chin up on his hand and waited for a reaction. Actually now that he thought about it, those names were kinda cool. If she agreed to it, he wouldn't be too disappointed.

He heard her huff. "You honestly want to name our children after a pair of criminals? I've bailed you out of jail enough in your earlier years. I would rather not have to do it for our children."

Well, she did have a point. He honestly could not remember the number of times she came to rescue his sorry ass from jail. A lot of those times he had still been drunk when she picked him up. Hence why he couldn't remember. Like the time she told him he had been swimming naked in a public fountain and threw a half finished bottle of Jack Daniels at a police officer before trying to get into his squad car. It hadn't gone well. At least that's what she had told him. He had to take her word on that.

What other names could he throw out to get her going? "Hansel and Gretel?"

"No and no."

Her voice was calm and collected. Hmmm. Not the reaction he was looking for. He had one more idea that may rile her up. "Luke and Leia?" When he heard her loud squeak, he knew he had finally gotten to her. Jackpot. Time to drive it home. "Well, it's settled then. Luke and Leia Stark. So what are you thinking for middle names?"

He was rewarded when her head poked out of the master bath, blue eyes narrowing into slits as they honed in on his face. Her eyebrows were pulled together in annoyance. "We are not not naming our children after Star Trek characters!"

"It's Star Wars, Pep. Star Wars. There is a big difference."

"I don't care what the difference is, you have got to be out of your mind if you think for a second that I'm going to let you name our kids after your favorite science fiction characters."

"While they are in the top five, they really aren't my favorites. Scully and Mulder are." He watched as her irritation started to shift into anger. He was really getting to her now, and while he was enjoying every second of it, it was time to end the game before things got too out of hand. After all just that morning, she had started crying over a car commercial. A car commercial! He had asked her why she was crying and she simply said that the crash test rating of that sedan was and I quote "out of this world." Pregnancy hormones sure were a dozy. "Fine. Those are a no go then. Wait, I've got it. The perfect duo. I think you will most definitely agree. Get ready for it. Cheeseburger and Fries Stark!" He watched as it finally dawned on her that he had been messing around the entire time. He was rewarded when she bit her bottom lip in a failed attempt to stifle her laughter, shaking her head at his foolishness.

"Tony, you big dork!" And then she was on him, tackling him back onto the bed, rolling him over and pinning him there. As she leaned down over him, nuzzling her nose underneath his jaw, he couldn't stop the purr that vibrated out of him. "Is there a time when you aren't thinking about food, Stark?"

A groan left his lips as she moved her way upward, rubbing her soft skin against his facial hair, creating delicious friction. "What? I'm hungry!" He knew he was grinning like an idiot but he didn't care. He was unable to control himself when he was around her. She made him so happy. There was a time in his life where he thought the only things that would bring him joy was driving expensive cars and creating new and exciting weapons. Oh and screwing the occasional girl. But now, now all he needed to make him happy was her.

"I'm hungry too," she admitted.

"Yeah?"

"Mmmhmmm." Pepper was now slowly nipping and kissing her way up his throat, moving more slowly than Tony thought was humanly possible. His entire body was practically vibrating with desire by the time she took his lobe between her teeth and bit down, sucking it into her mouth. He whimpered. When her warm wet tongue traced the outer shell of his ear, he was almost positive he was going to have to change his pants because damn did that woman know how to put her mouth to good use. "I'm definitely craving something very specific."

He shuddered under her, letting his eyes flutter closed as he basked in her touch. He felt her swollen belly rub against his chest and another low moan escaped him. He never thought he would be into pregnant women but God. Pregnant Pepper was the sexiest woman in the entire universe. Part of him wanted her to stay knocked up for the foreseeable future. "What are you in the mood for? Veggie pizza with extra cheese and extra veggies? Tacos? I'll get you whatever you want. You want a sandwich or something?"

"Oh, I'm definitely in the mood for a foot-long but this one isn't from Subway." Before he could ask what she meant, her hand was cupping his growing erection through the front of his soft jeans.

That had not been what he was expecting but damn it was just what he needed. His eyes rolled back into his head as he focused in on feeling those talented hands work their magic on him, stroking him several times. Even through the material of his jeans, it felt amazing. Then he felt her hand slip underneath the denim to hold him in her palm. "Oh God, Pepper!" Even though she wasn't making any noise, he knew for a fact she was laughing because he could feel it. He opened his eyes and focused in on her flushed face, freckles temporarily hidden by the blush spreading across her cheeks. "Foot long huh? You must really be hungry."

Pepper giggled once more before being silenced by Tony's questing lips, food forgotten at least for the moment.


	25. Chapter 25

So, you two still honestly haven't decided on names for the babies yet?" Rhodey asked, clearly surprised as he took a sip of his beer before raising a questioning brow in Tony's direction. "Aren't you guys cutting it a little close?"

The two friends were out grabbing a drink and a bite to eat together. It had been far too long since they had hung out and it felt nice. It being a Friday night and all, the local sushi place they chose was buzzing with activity, forcing them to take a seat at the bar or wait. This didn't bother either of them a bit. If Tony really wanted, he could have easily gotten a table by flashing his "I'm Tony Stark" card but tonight was a night he did not want to be recognized. He just wanted to catch up with his best friend and be normal. Well, as normal as possible. Trying to keep a low profile, Tony had on a pair of black Ray-Bans and a baseball cap pulled low over his brow trying to stay under the radar. He was dressed in his scuffed work boots, faded blue jeans and an AC/DC shirt. Nothing that screamed "everybody look...famous superhero here!" Most people were too consumed in their own conversations to really take notice of him anyway but a few people close by did give him a second glance. After all, he still had his signature Tony Stark facial hair and there was absolutely no way he was ever shaving that off.

The young dark haired woman next to Tony leaned closer to him, her hazel eyes narrowing as she studied his face, trying to figure out how she knew him. Before she could place him, he turned his face away from her and focused in on his food. "I mean, we still have a few weeks left. We have a couple of names picked out that we've been throwing around. Nothing set in stone yet." He could feel the woman still staring lasers at the back of his head but he forced himself to ignore it, shoving the piece of sashimi into his mouth with his chopsticks. Thanks to Pepper, he was actually pretty good at using the utensils now. He still remembered the first time he had tried to use chopsticks because he kept dropping his food just before it got into his mouth and Pepper, who had still been his PA at the time had actually starting snorting in laughter.

"Why didn't you bring Pepper with you?" It was almost like Rhodey was in his head, bringing her up while he was thinking about her. "I know for a fact that loves this place."

Tony finished chewing and pointed a single chopstick into Rhodey's face. "Because she would kill me if she knew I was eating sushi. I promised to give it up with her since she isn't supposed to eat raw fish during pregnancy so you keep your lips zipped about us coming here or forget any new upgrades to your suit." After threatening his friend, Tony popped another piece of sushi into his mouth and moaned his approval. "Oh yeah. I've definitely missed this. Plus I wanted to catch up with you. We haven't hung out in awhile and I missed you. And you know, once the kids get here, it will get even more crazy than it already is. If that is even possible."

Rhodey gave him a small smile and shook his head. "I can't believe you actually grew up. I never thought I would live to see the day that would happen."

Try as he might, Tony tried his hardest to look offended but Rhodey was right. He had spent the majority of his life acting like a rich spoiled brat. Tony gave his friend a half-hearted shrug in agreement. "Yeah, I'm with you. I honestly didn't see myself getting married or having kids. I mean, being married doesn't feel any different but you know, it may just take awhile to actually sink in that Pepper is my wife...what? What's wrong?"

Rhodey was now staring at him, eyes practically bugging out of his head as he leaned toward him. "You two are married? When did you get married?" His voice was low but it was obvious he was shocked and a little bit offended.

Oh shit. He had gone and did what he promised he wouldn't do. He had let it slip that he and Pepper had gotten married. They were still planning on having a public wedding that included all of their friends and family after the babies were born but if it got out that he and Pepper eloped, she might just kill him. Especially since lately her hormones have been making her do things she normally wouldn't do like cry because carousel music makes her sad or because he bought green olives instead of black. Tony motioned for his friend to quite down as his eyes scanned the room, making sure that no one was listening in to their conversation. "Relax. Would you, Rhodey? I really don't want the entire world to know. Pepper might want a divorce."

Rhodey gave him a serious look as he downed the rest of his beer and slammed the glass down on the bar. "You two seriously got married? And you didn't even invite me? Hell, you didn't even tell me..."

Tony stuck out his bottom lip in a pout and fluttered his lashes at his friend, trying without words to beg for his forgiveness. "Aww. Don't be mad, sour patch."

Rhodey held up a warning finger. "Do not call me that. And your puppy dog eyes won't work on me. Never have. Never will."

Tony sighed, a frown spreading across his face. He could tell Rhodey was hurt by being left out and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his friend. "Honestly, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. We are still having a big wedding after the kids are born but we just felt the need to make it official right away. After going through all of that shit with Hammer, we just needed it. She thought she lost me and I thought I lost her. The same night after everything went down, we tied the knot. Nothing against you, Rhodey. It wasn't about you or anyone else really. It was about us."

It was Rhodey's turn to sigh, all of the tension seemed to leave his shoulders at Tony's words. "You know, when you talk all mature like that, it is hard to stay mad at you."

Happy that his friend wasn't mad at him anymore, Tony grinned and fluttered his lashes at him a second time. "You could never stay mad at me, honey bear. You love me too much."

Rhodey shook his head in amusement, punching Tony gently in the shoulder when the man made a kissy face at him. "Seriously man, you are lucky that I put up with you...that Pepper puts up with you."

"Oh my God. You're Tony Stark." A female voice exclaimed, making Tony's entire body go tense. Shit. So the woman next to him had recognized who he was earlier. This is exactly what he didn't want to happen. Slowly, he turned back in her direction. Maybe he could get her to believe that he wasn't the Tony Stark, just a look-a-like but when he faced her, she snatched the sunglasses from his nose and the hat from his head. He spared a quick glance around to see if anyone else was looking in his direction and sure enough, the entire place was now silent, everyone glancing his way. Oh joy. "Oh yeah. It is most definitely you. Nobody else on the planet has eyes like you. I never thought I would see you again. Remember me? I'm Sara. We hooked up awhile back. You were here on business. We fucked in the back of your limo. Twice. Then we went back to my hotel room and went crazy on each other. You even invited the room service lady to join us after she delivered our champagne." The expression on his face must have been blank because she added, "You honestly don't remember? You, me, her, the shower?"

Tony reached out to grab the hat back from her hands, pulling it down to cover his face once again. "That was a long time ago," he grumbled before taking the sunglasses from her hand and sliding them back on his nose. He really did not like people bringing up his playboy past and rubbing it in his face especially since parts of it he couldn't even remember himself, being too drunk or high. Or both. It was a part of his life that he was not proud of. "And no. I don't remember you. Sorry." He honestly didn't remember her or any of what she claimed happened but it did sound like something playboy Tony Stark would have done.

His dismissive tone didn't seem to put her off because she leaned in closer to him, invading his personal space and touched his arm. Goosebumps immediately formed on his skin and they weren't from arousal but something else entirely. "Come on. I know you remember. I did that thing with my tongue you liked. I can do it again if you want." And then her hand was on his thigh squeezing. He was on his feet in a beat, almost knocking over a waitress behind him who was carrying a tray of food. His chest grew tight as he backed away. He couldn't breathe. Why couldn't he breathe and then before his eyes the dark-haired woman morphed into Christine Everhart. He could still feel the ghost imprint of Everhart's hands on his skin, her mouth on his as he begged her to stop. He had to get out of there. Now. He stumbled away from his place at the bar, pushing past anyone who stood in his way without an apology. He wouldn't have been able to apologize anyway because he couldn't catch his breath. He felt dizzy and sick.

"Where are you going?" The woman shouted after him. "Hey, everyone! That's Tony Stark. We hooked up."

"Tony!" Rhodey was shouting his name but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. He had to get away. Somehow he managed to make it out of the restaurant before his knees finally gave out completely and he slid down onto his butt on the concrete. He put his head between his knees and pulled in deep shuddering breaths, trying to fill his oxygen-deprived lungs. His entire body was shaking. "Tony?" He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and knew it was Rhodey. "Tony? Are you okay? What happened back there?"

Not moving from his curled up position, Tony shook his head. "Get me home, Rhodey. Please," was all he could say.

Tony didn't remember the ride back. The thing that finally pulled him out of his panic induced state was Pepper's voice. It was always the thing that pulled him back. She was suddenly there next to him, helping him out of the car and into her arms and wrapping him up tight. "I'm here, Tony. I'm here. It's okay. It will be okay." The press of her swollen belly against him helped ground him in reality.

He had his face buried into her shoulder so he could breathe in her comforting scent. He didn't hear Rhodey leave. He only heard Pepper thanking him for bringing him back to her and promising to take care of him. When he finally became fully aware of his surroundings again, he realized that Pepper had somehow managed to get him back into their living room.

Never once taking her hands off of him, she guided him over to the couch, waiting until he settled down into the cushions before curling closely into him, lying her head on his shoulder. She pulled her legs up underneath her before lacing her fingers into his and squeezing his hand gently. "I'm here when you want to talk. Take as much time as you need."

They sat there together in silence for awhile, listening to the roll of thunder of an approaching storm in the distance. The steady beating of Pepper's heart, the almost hypnotic rising and falling of her chest and the gentle rain that tapped against the windows helped him relax. With each passing moment, he felt the panic in him slowly ebbing away. This woman. This wonderful woman. He didn't know what he did to deserve her but he was never letting her go. Ever. It wasn't too long before he felt calm enough to speak. "I was just hanging out with Rhodey. I was fine and then this woman sitting next to me recognized me. She took off my hat and sunglasses."

Pepper made a disgusted face as if she couldn't possibly imagine someone actually doing that to him. "She just reached over and took them off of you? Just like that?"

"Yeah. Just like that."

"If I would have been there, I would have smacked her. You don't do that to someone."

A dark flush was slowly rising up Pepper's chest and neck toward her face and Tony knew what that meant. Uh oh. If she was irritated now, she was going to go off about what happened next. "That's not all, Pep. That's the mild part." He took a deep breath and readied himself for her reaction. "She started to go on and on about how we hooked up in the past..."

"Did you?"

Even though Pepper didn't seem to be upset because after all, she knew all about his past and still chose to marry him, Tony involuntarily clenched his jaw. "Maybe. I don't know. I honestly don't remember. I swear I don't, Pep, but she started to go into graphic detail about what we supposedly did together, and I started to get uncomfortable and then..."

"And then?" Pepper gently urged him to continue.

Here comes the bad part. "And then she grabbed my thigh and I panicked. I swear I didn't want her to touch me." The words were spewing out of his mouth rapid fire now. It was completely out of his control. He had to make sure Pepper understood that he didn't want anyone else, that she was the only thing that mattered to him. If he lost her, he wouldn't know what he would do. "I didn't like it when she touched me. It reminded me of when Everhart had me strapped down at her mercy and she could do whatever she wanted to me..." Then he realized that Pepper might misinterpret his words and think that something more had happened while he was held captive so he decided to elaborate. "Everhart didn't do anything beyond kissing me. I swear, Pep. But when that woman touched me, I couldn't breath and I felt like the walls were closing in on me so I had to get out of there...I had to leave." He was frantic until Pepper took his face in between her hands and forced eye contact.

"Tony." The expression on her face was kind as she smoothed the hair off his forehead in a loving caress. "I believe you." She pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth before rubbing her cheek against his goatee. "I know you don't want anyone else and that you love me. That woman had no right touching you like that. In fact, if I was there I would have called the police and had her arrested. You can't just grab someone like that. Even if they did break a promise to you and had sushi when they said they wouldn't." When Pepper pulled back to meet his eyes, he knew he was busted.

Having been caught, Tony grinned sheepishly as he ruffled the back of his hair. "Does this mean I have to sleep on the couch because I was a bad boy?"

Pepper huffed at him but it was in a playful way. Of course she expected him to slip up once in awhile. She had to be used to it by now. "No. Of course not. I don't care about the sushi, Tony. I care about you. Are you sure you are okay?"

Tony knew now that whether he had meant to or not, he had scared her. As a response, he laid his head down on her lap as much as he could since most of it was now taken up by her huge belly and pressed his nose into her. "As long as I have you and the mini-Starks, I will be just fine." He lifted up the bottom of her shirt in order to press soft kisses to her swollen stomach. When Pepper's fingers carded through his hair, he practically purred. He hoped she never got tired of playing with his hair.

"I know we both like Morgan as a name for our son but what about Maria for our daughter?"

Still settled in her lap, Tony turned his head so he could look up at her face. He furrowed his brows together in confusion. "You want to name our daughter after Maria Hill? I mean she would be flattered and all but why her?"

His response made Pepper snort a laugh and roll her eyes in disbelief before she continued to stroke his hair, making his eyes temporarily roll back into his head. "No, you dork. I want to name her after your mother. I know how much she meant to you."

A lump formed in Tony's throat. She wanted to name their daughter after his mother. The one person he knew loved him back when he was sure he was only a bother to his father. His mother had always been there for him. She had been there for him up until the very end. When he felt his throat closing up and sting behind his eyes, he pressed his face back into Pepper's belly, letting the tears come.

"Tony? I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. If you don't like it we don't have to..."

He smiled, really smiled through his tears as he pressed his face against her skin. Pepper must have felt it because she stopped talking. "Don't be sorry, honey. I love it. Morgan and Maria Stark it is."


	26. Chapter 26

Tony stood by the giant windows in the living room, completely transfixed by the spectacular light show currently going on outside. He couldn't remember ever seeing so much lightning. Well, except when Thor was involved but that didn't count. The rain was pouring down in droves, coming down at an angle and beating a hard rhythm on the glass. "This storm is really something, huh? Glad we decided to stay in tonight and not go out. Want me to start dinner?" Having not received an answer to his question, he turned to face his wife who was standing next to him. He could immediately tell something was bothering her. Her entire frame was tense, her back straight, arms crossed tightly over her chest. "What's wrong? Pep?"

Instead of answering him directly, she reached a hand out and put it against the glass, inattentively drawing abstract shapes in the condensation. Her eyes seemed unfocused as she stared out into the stormy night. "I was just thinking about the last time I remember it storming like this. It was the night of our engagement party..." Her voice trailed off and when she finally turned to face him, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears, his stomach dropped out because he knew what she was thinking. "The night I almost lost you." A sob racked her body as she stepped into his open arms seeking comfort, nuzzling into his neck.

He felt his skin become wet with her tears. Oh shit. Of course she would remember the night way more vividly than he did. Hell, he still really didn't remember much about the accident. All he basically remembered was the phone call from Pepper before he was rear-ended and then waking up in the hospital. "But you didn't lose me." He wrapped his arms around her protectively, feeling the comforting press of her swollen belly against his abdomen. "You saved me, Pep. I'm here because of you."

Pepper chuckled weakly. "Well, to be fair, I'm here because of you too."

A corner of Tony's mouth quirked up. "Let's call it even then." He pressed a soothing kiss to the side of her head, smiling when he felt familiar kicks against his stomach. "Looks like the kids are awake." He knelt down to get on their level, lifting up the bottom of Pepper's shirt to press two kisses to her baby bump. "One for each of you. Hey, what do you two feeling like eating? I can whip us up some spaghetti." He laid a hand on her stomach and grinned when he felt the twins pressing back against it. Yes, there were many things he enjoyed in life but nothing made him feel as good as he did right here in this moment. Tipping his head back, he gazed up at Pepper, his smile widening when he noticed all of the love reflected on her face. Slowly, he rose to his feet, snaking his hands up her torso as he went, enjoying the way her body trembled under his touch. Even after all of these years, even after he knocked her up, she still wanted him. "Would mommy like some spaghetti?" He murmured into her ear, nuzzling at it before gently biting on the lobe. "I could make some of my mom's famous meatballs to go with it. Oh, and garlic bread. I think we have some of that too. I wonder if we have any Parmesan..."

Pepper hummed in agreement against his throat. "Sounds delicious. Feeling extra Italian tonight?"

"Ti amo." Even though Tony knew Italian thanks to his mother, he didn't speak it very often but he knew that Pepper enjoyed it when he did. He felt her grip on him tighten as soon as the words left his lips. He sighed heavily when she rubbed her soft cheek against his bristly one.

"I love you too, my Italian stallion."

When he whinnied loudly like a horse, Pepper lost her hold on her composure completely, giggling hysterically as he softly tackled her back onto the pillows on the couch, making sure not to fall on her. They lay tangled together for several minutes, exchanging kisses that grew in intensity and heat as they stroked and caressed each other.

"Mmmm." Pepper was the first to pull back from their make-out session. Tony chased her with his mouth, stealing another kiss from her before she had a chance to speak. "While I do love what we are doing, didn't you say something about spaghetti?"

Food. Of course. It was getting late and he had promised her a meal. It was easy for him to get lost in kissing her all night so he needed to actually get his butt of the couch and get moving before he forgot what he was doing again. "Yep. Got it." Tony gave her another peck on the lips as he started to rise. "I'm on it." He sneaked another kiss as Pepper tried to duck her head playfully away. "Just one more and then I'll make food. I promise." Rolling her eyes, Pepper huffed in amusement and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down into an open-mouthed, dirty, wet kiss. By the time she was done with him, making food was the last thing on his mind but it must have been on hers because she pushed him gently away, running a hand over the side of his cheek and down his chest, smoothing the wrinkles out of the front of his shirt as she went.

The look she gave him was full of promise and it made him swallow hard. "Now go make me food, Mr. Stark. Then we can continue this later."

"Food now. This later. Yes, ma'am," he said as he scurried to the kitchen. It was not so secret that he loved to surprise Pepper and making her dinner was an easy way to do that. He didn't cook very often. It was much easier to cook using the plastic he carried in his wallet but once in awhile, every so often, he would buck up and use his skills in the kitchen. Believe it or not, he could cook.

Okay, so he totally messed up the first thing he ever cooked for her, the omelet he had made her on the plane but to be fair, he had a lot of things on his mind. He had been dying and he knew Pepper was pissed at him and all he wanted to do was curl into her lap and beg for forgiveness but he knew he couldn't do that so instead he tried to make her food as his way to apologize. Of course he fucked it up which wasn't really a surprise because he always somehow managed to fuck it up. But not now. Not anymore. Pepper deserved the best so he would do his best for her.

His mother used to make him pasta from scratch and of course, he would always be right there by her side helping her. Cooking with his mother were some of his favorite memories. The last time he had tried to make pasta by himself, it hadn't been too great but maybe the third time was the charm. Quietly humming to himself, he located his "Kiss the Cook" apron Happy had gotten him as a gag gift years ago and put it on before rolling up his sleeves. "How do I look?" he asked as he spun to face Pepper who was still nestled on the couch.

Her eyes raked over him, ogling him and Tony felt heat stir below his belt. "Looking good, Mr. Stark. I love a man who knows his way around the kitchen. Keep it up and I just might do more than kiss the cook."

Tony stopped to adjust himself because his pants were getting uncomfortable. "Oh, it's up. It is most definitely up."

Pepper grinned and bit her bottom lip. "But can you keep it up is the question."

Tony growled in the back of his throat. "Oh, you know I can," he shot back as he began to try and locate the ingredients he needed. While talking dirty with Pepper was always fun, he really needed to concentrate on what he was doing or he would mess up. He really needed to get this right this time. He became hyper-focused on making sure the pasta and meatballs were perfect so he had absolutely no concept of time for awhile. Then he remembered he had to make sauce so he was scrambling around trying to remember how to do that and when he finally addressed Pepper, it was almost an hour later. His hands were full when he turned to her.

"Hey Pep, you want a salad too? I found some cherry tomatoes at the back of the fridge and I know how much you love those. I think I found some goji berries as well I can put on top." When he glanced in her direction, he noticed she was no longer on the couch but leaning into the wall, hand pressed firmly to her lower abdomen. Her eyes were closed, face scrunched up as if she was in pain. He almost dropped the head of lettuce he was holding. "Pep, you okay?"

Pepper tried to wave him off as she stood back to her full height. "It's nothing. It's just a contraction. I've been having them on and off for the past couple of days. It's fine."

Tony blinked at her stupidly, setting down the lettuce a little too hard. It bounced and rolled off the counter. "Wait...what? It doesn't sound like nothing to me." He wiped his hands on a towel as he approached her, his temper beginning to boil like the sauce and pasta was. "And you didn't feel like telling me?" He hated being upset with her but he couldn't control the annoyance in his tone. Also the way he tossed the towel across the room probably didn't help matters any.

Pepper frowned at his display of anger but kept her voice steady. "You had a lot on your mind, and I didn't want to add to it. You've been so stressed lately. It has been nothing consistent anyway. Well, not until earlier this morning."

Tony raised a finger to stop her. "Wait, you've been having consistent contractions since this morning and you didn't say anything to me?" His voice was an octave higher than it normally was.

"Actually since last night at ten pm. Approximately, ten minutes apart, boss," Friday chirped without being asked. "Until an hour or so ago. They are now six minutes apart."

Pepper glared up at the ceiling as if Friday was physically located there. "Tattletale." A roll of thunder shook the room around them as Pepper bowled over once again, clutching her abdomen and worked to breathe through the contractions. She actually seemed to be holding up well. Better than her husband in fact who was on verge of passing out.

Not knowing what to do, Tony simply held her, rubbing her back as she moaned. "Pep. Pepper. Let me know what to do. What do you need me to do, honey?" He held her as she moved her hips from side to side, trying to ride out the pain.

When the contraction finally ended, Pepper raised her head and met Tony's eyes. She slipped her much smaller hand into his much larger one. He could feel her shaking. "I think-I think we better go."

Okay. So it was happening. It was actually happening. The babies were coming. Not a month from now. Not tomorrow. Right now. Tony gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and forced a smile. "Okay, go. We can go. Let's go. To the hospital we go. I'll go get your bag. You just wait here. Everything is fine. Everything is going to be fine."

"I'm afraid that is not possible," Friday's voice stopped his mad dash across the room, "a large fraction of the city has lost power and flooding has made many of the main roads almost impossible to travel."

Tony let Friday's words sink in, and he watched Pepper squeeze her eyes shut as another contraction overtook her. One of her hands found the wall and she leaned into it for support. Her jaw was clenched. Her nose crinkled. Her eyes squeezed shut. Her entire being was practically calling out for him to hold her but there he was, frozen in place, half-way across the room. He wanted to go to her but his feet refused to move from the spot. He may as well have been miles away. His heart thumping in his chest was the loudest sound in the room. Terrified. He was terrified. He shouldn't be. He was Iron Man. Something like this shouldn't scare him but it did. It scared him shitless.

"Tony?"

The uncertainty in her voice is what finally broke through the fear and allowed him to move. He was at her side instantly, his hands circling her hips as he pulled her in closer. "Yeah baby?"

Her blue eyes were wild and wide. "I think my water just broke."

Tony dropped his gaze to the floor. Sure enough, there was liquid running down her legs, pooling at her feet. Oh God. This could not be happening. Not now. The babies weren't supposed to be due for another month. Why was this happening now? There was only one thing he could do. "Get a suit to me now, Friday. I have to get her to the hospital."

"No time, boss," Friday countered. "The contractions are too close together. You wouldn't make it there. You will have to do it yourself."

In that very moment, time seemed to stop. Tony's legs wobbled beneath him and now it was him who was leaning into the wall for support. "Do it myself..." He repeated the AI's words as if he didn't understand, and he truly didn't. He didn't want to believe them. She couldn't actually mean...

"Deliver the babies, boss. You will have to deliver the babies."


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning...there is some distress in this chapter concerning childbirth so if you had a tramuatic birth please be aware of this before you read it.

As soon as the contraction passed and Pepper was able to think again, she straightened up and looked over to Tony who was running shaky hands through his hair as he paced the floor. More than anything, she wanted to reassure him that everything would be okay even when she wasn't completely sure of it herself because right now, her husband was a mess. "Tony?" Tentatively, she reached a hand out to him but he brushed right past it unnoticed. He was in the middle of having a serious conversation with Friday and the news he was getting was not what he wanted to hear. Pepper wasn't going to panic just yet. Someone had to try and remain calm. If both of them lost their shit, nothing good with come out of the situation.

Tony's eyes were unfocused as he shook his head, obviously distraught by Friday's assessment. Unfortunately, Pepper had missed most of what was being said between the two because of what were quickly becoming back to back contractions. She didn't understand why they were still here and not heading for the car. They had to leave soon or they would never make it to the hospital. "Tony!"

"What about the medical staff in the building? Send someone up now."

"No one is currently available, boss. They have been caught out in the storm. 911 is backed up because of people being stranded in their vehicles due to the flooding. One of those stranded individuals is Harper Cross."

And those were the words that almost bowled Pepper over like a ton of bricks. Harper Cross was her midwife. Her midwife was stuck in traffic. There was flooding. Oh God no. They weren't going to make it to the hospital, were they? This was not the way it was supposed to happen. She had everything planned out but now, now nothing was going according to plan. Not her experienced midwife but her scared-out-of-his-mind husband was going to have to deliver their babies in their own home. Guilt bubbled up inside of her almost choking off her breath. This was all her fault. She should have told him about the contractions but honestly, she didn't actually think she was in labor. The tears were streaming down her cheeks before she even realized she was crying. "I'm sorry, Tony. I'm so sorry. You were making dinner and were so happy, and I didn't want to interrupt you and I...ah!" Another contraction cut her off and finally spurred Tony into action because she felt his strong arms wrapping around her, holding her up.

It was next to impossible for her to open her eyes but she could feel Tony's lips and hot breath against her ear. "It's okay, Pep. It'll be okay. Don't worry. I'll make this okay." He stayed that way until she was able to open her eyes and focus on him. Then he put his hands on her face, meeting her gaze and the loving expression she saw there almost made her break down. "You believe me? Don't you?"

Pepper's lip wobbled as she stared into those big brown eyes she loved. She knew Tony was trying to put on a brave face for her. Her hands came up to cover his. "I believe you. You have done amazing things in your life. Things I never thought were possible. You fought your way out of a cave full of terrorists. You created and synthesized a new element in your own basement. You flew a nuke through a wormhole. You are completely capable of delivering a couple of babies. This should be easy for a genius like you, right?"

And even those things were not going according to plan, a giddy grin split Tony's face and he barked a laugh. "That's the spirit, Pep. Although, I think taking on terrorists would be cake compared to this but you know me. I'm always up for a new challenge." Pepper could see the gears in his head kicking into overdrive. "So the book I was reading the other night said that being fully immersed in water lowers your blood pressure and allows you to feel more relaxed so how would you like for me to get the tub going for you?"

"Were you reading my birthing books?" Pepper was impressed because even she hadn't gotten around to reading them all.

Tony shrugged it off as if it was no big deal. "Well, it was better than reading your books on composting and I figured since we were having twins I would be up to my elbows in shit anyway. So...the tub? Sound good?"

"Anthony Edward Stark!" Pepper gave him a playful push as a laugh bubbled up out of her. Okay, even she had to admit that was funny. "You are such a dork, and yes, the tub sounds perfect."

A satisfied moan of pleasure left her lips as she sank down into the warm water and let her head fall back to rest against the tub. The jets did feel amazing and while the contractions were still quite painful, the water definitely did help to take the edge off. Pepper had questioned time and time again Tony's decision to get a Jacuzzi that was able to seat more than two people comfortably (because why in the hell would he need it now that his playboy years were over) but now as he was able to get into next to her as well, she was really glad he had went against her wishes and sized up. Never in a million years did she think their Jacuzzi tub would become a birthing pool.

Somehow, she was able to focus on her deep breathing while Tony nervously chattered away on his phone, likely to her midwife because he was trying his best to use birth lingo. It was adorable but she chose not to comment on it. Instead she focused in on herself, keeping her breathing and heart rate steady. Remaining calm and in control was what she was good at. An indiscriminate amount of time seemed to fly by before she was back into her body, back in the room with her husband. It had to have been awhile because the tips of Tony's fingers were turning into prunes. His hands were on her knees as he crouched in the water between her legs. He hadn't even bothered to strip down, just got into the tub, fully clothed. He even had his "Kiss the Cook" apron on and God did Pepper want to. Kiss him that is. His intense gaze was focused in on her face so he noticed when she came out of her trance.

"You doin' okay, honey?"

Pepper was unable to reply. Not when the contractions were almost back to back. All she could do was reach out to grasp one of Tony's shaking hands tightly. Too tightly, in fact, but at that moment, she was not in control of her own facilities. He might have even been squeezing her back. She couldn't tell. The only thing that currently existed in her world was the pain and the unbearable need to push.

Tony caught on immediately. "Oh shit. Is it time, Pep? Pepper?"

Pepper nodded as she settled back against the tub and spread her legs wider in order to allow him to move in closer. Her body seemed to be pushing without her. Things seem to be out of her hands and she didn't like that. She didn't like that at all. She was always in control. Always. It had been her job for as long as she could remember to be in complete control but now, she felt helpless, and Tony had to have seen it in her eyes because he began to panic.

Splashing water out of the tub, he flailed around as he tried to reach across her for the phone. "Wait. I gotta call your midwife back. I..." The phone fell from Tony's hand, luckily not in the tub as slid across the tile floor away from them. His eyes were huge as he stared between her legs. "Holy shit. That's hair. I see a head! Pepper. Pepper. You have to wait. Just let me make a call."

Pepper grabbed his arm, her nails biting into his skin. She was sure the expression on her face was not a friendly one because Tony almost shrunk away from her. Normally she would feel guilty for making him feel that way. But not now. Not today. Not when it felt like she was being turned inside out. "No waiting. Now, Tony."

Now she understood exactly why they called it the "ring of fire." The burning sensation was not at all pleasant. Although she did know fire. Not all that long ago she did have Extremis running through her veins and compared to that, this wasn't that bad. And with a loud roar, Pepper birthed her first child into the world, right into her husband's waiting hands.

"Wow. Just wow." Tony's lip quivered as he stared down at the squalling tiny person in his hands. It was their son. Morgan. "He's perfect, Pep," he whispered in awe. After wiping the newborn down with a fluffy towel, gently he maneuvered the baby into Pepper's waiting arms. Luckily, the umbilical cord was long enough so they did not have to immediately cut it. "One down, one to go. What do you think, momma?"

Pepper looked down at the boy in her arms. He was so tiny. His little hands were balled into fists, eyes squeezed shut as he wailed. He had the fullest head of hair she had seen on a newborn. Dark and curly. He was definitely Tony's son alright. Tears swam in Pepper's eyes as she gazed up at her husband. "He is perfect." Holy crap. She couldn't believe it. She did it. They did it. Suddenly, she felt a strong suction on her right breast and glanced down to find Morgan had latched himself on and was nursing like a champ.

"He sure as a good set of pipes on him. Doesn't he? And he definitely knows what he likes." Tony cocked his head as he watched his son nurse. "I like those too, buddy. I guess I have to share them now, huh?"

Pepper couldn't help it. She rolled her eyes. Of course he would choose now to make a comment about her boobs. "Tony."

He gave her a stupid grin as he rose from the water. "Now we wait until baby girl decides to make her appearance." He stepped from the tub and stripped down to his boxers, dropping the wet clothes in the far corner before exiting the room. He returned a few minutes later with a handful of items he placed on the counter. Must be his baby tools. Pepper chuckled silently. Tony confirmed her suspicious when he used one of the tools to cut the umbilical cord. "Hey, look," he said as he pointed at Morgan.

Pepper's eyes drifted down to her chest. Morgan had unlatched. The little guy had nursed himself to sleep.

Tony gently reached out and took him from her arms. Using those amazingly accurate hands of his that Pepper had always admired, he swaddled their son in under thirty seconds before lying the boy in the bassinet, pushing it outside the bathroom door. Giving her one of his 100-watt Stark smiles, he turned to face her, spreading his arms out in front of him. "Well, what do you think?"

Pepper raised her brows. "Color me impressed, Mr. Stark."

"What can I say? I've been practicing."

Pepper was sure her brows disappeared into her hairline. That was the last thing she thought he would say. "You have been practicing swaddling?"

Tony nodded as he knelt down next to the tub, reaching out to brush his thumbs over her cheekbones. "I have. Although I have to say that Rhodey's cat probably didn't appreciate it much."

The image of Tony practicing wrapping up Rhodey's ole fluffy white cat in a blanket, made a laugh sputter out of her. As far as she knew, the cat wasn't declawed. And grumpy. Tony was lucky he didn't lose an eye. "Anthony Edward Stark, were you torturing your best friend's cat?"

Tony waved it off. "He's fine. That cat's been through much worse." And then he began to tell her the story of how Rhodey had acquired his newest buddy Colonel Kitty. She must have heard the story at least four or five times but listening to Tony's voice was relaxing and hearing him laugh as he described how Rhodes reacted when he noticed there was a cat in his plane was hilarious no matter how many times she heard it.

Slowly but surely, the contractions started up again. She was almost able to make it through the entire story but near the end, one extra long contraction made her wince and moan, hands going to her belly.

"Pep? Pepper, is it time?" Tony crawled back into the tub with her, sloshing water over the side as he moved into baby catching position once again. "Everything is gonna be fine," he said and then he opened up her legs. "Uh oh."

"Uh oh?" Pepper pushed herself up on an elbow. "What do you mean uh oh?"

Tony swallowed. "Feet. I see feet. Shit. Shit. Shit."

Feet. The second twin was breech. Footling breech, which could be dangerous if the umbilical cord became prolapsed in the birth canal and deprived the baby of blood and oxygen. There were no medical personal around to help. There was only her and her terrified husband. Knowing that she had to get the baby out as quickly as possible, she started pushing without contractions. This was nothing like Morgan's birth where her body basically expelled him without her having to work too hard for it. This may have been the hardest thing she had ever done. When the shoulders slipped out, the burning sensation made her cry out.

"Almost there, Pep! One more push should do it. You can do it."

The words, "No, I can't" went through her head but were almost just as quickly gone when with one more hard push Tony lifted their daughter out of the water. She had done it. Maria was out. But Tony wasn't smiling. In fact, as he dropped to his knees with their daughter, Pepper could tell he was close to panicking. As he lay their daughter onto a towel he had spread out on the floor, Pepper could see the blue tint of her skin, her purple lips. But that wasn't the worst part. The newborn was silent.

A sob tore out of her throat as she slowly and shakily rose to her feet, trying to lean over the edge of the tub so she could see better. "Tony, is she breathing?" She didn't know why she asked the question because she knew the answer.

Tony didn't respond. His efforts were solely focused on trying to resuscitate their daughter. He had a bulb syringe and was suctioning out her mouth and nose, making sure they were clear before leaning down and beginning CPR. In that moment, Pepper was once again transported back to that horrible night when she thought she lost Tony, when she thought he had drown. The blue tinge of his lips and cold clamminess of his normally warm skin as she tried to breathe life back into him would be forever burned into her mind. She had almost lost Tony and now...she could lose her daughter...

When she finally heard her daughter's strong cries echoing off bathroom walls, she could finally start to breathe again herself. Her body was still shaking, knees knocking together. Her voice was still shaky. "Tony. Tony, please talk to me." Her heart was still fluttering wildly in her chest as she stared at her husband's back. It was then her knees finally gave out and she allowed herself to collapse, falling out of the tub and onto the floor.

"Shit! Are you okay, Pepper?" Keeping Maria tightly banded to him with one arm, he was immediately there, sitting Pepper up with the other, propping her up against the side of the tub. He brushed her hair back from her face, running a thumb over her bottom lip. When he pulled it away, it was bloody. "Oh, Pep."

"It's okay. I'm okay, Tony," Pepper tried to reassure him. It was only a bloody lip. Their daughter was the one who wasn't breathing. "Is Maria okay?"

"See for yourself," Tony said as he showed her the newest addition to their family.

Maria was a bit smaller than her brother but she had the same head of dark curly hair. She didn't cry as long as Morgan did, her wails stopping when Tony held her up to his face and nuzzled his bristly cheek against her baby soft one. The beautiful sight made Pepper's eyes tear up. "Hmmm. Already a daddy's girl, I see."

Tony grinned before glancing at his watch. "Born twelve minutes apart. Exactly."

Pepper bit her lip to try and stop herself from smiling, remembering the significance the number twelve had between them. "Well, I'm gonna have to give you 12% of the credit for this, Mr. Stark. After all, I did do all the heavy lifting. Literally, I lifted the heavy things for nine months."

"I can't believe you are still holding that against me all of these years." Tony tried to sound offended by her statement but failed miserably as he swaddled their daughter. He placed her in Pepper's arms and covered them both with fluffy towels before glancing at his phone. "The midwife says she should be over within the hour. So for now, Mrs. Stark, let's get you and our babies to bed."

"Mmmm," Pepper mumbled as she placed a soft kiss to the top of Maria's head before handing her back to Tony. "And I could use some food. I'm starving. How is your dinner coming?" Just then the smoke detector started going off and that was enough of an answer for both of them.

"Shit the food!" Tony yelped as he scrambled from the room, still only dressed in his soaking wet boxers. "I can't believe I forgot the food."

Pepper watched him go, trying her hardest not to laugh when he slipped and almost fell in his hurry to stop the building from burning down around them. Maria cooed, attracting Pepper's full attention. "Welcome to the world, little one. Your dad is something else entirely You're gonna love him." And then Tony appeared in the doorway dripping wet and holding a fire extinguisher confirming her previous statement and Pepper lost it. Laughter overtook her. She laughed until their were tears streaming down her cheeks and through the wetness in her eyes, she could see Tony smile. She couldn't believe this was her life now. She was married to her soulmate, and they had two beautiful children. She was the luckiest person in the world. "Now that the kitchen isn't on fire, help me to bed and then get me some food."

Tony's eyes were twinkling. "Will that be all, Mrs. Stark?"

She knew exactly how to respond. "That will not be all, Mr. Stark but it's a good start."


End file.
